


A Cup of Poison Does Wonders for the Nerves

by orphan_account



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, I honestly have no idea what I'm doing, Miraculous Ladybug AU, Witch AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-12 07:50:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5658415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette and Adrien attend a school for witches, and instead of them turning into superheroes, they turn into powerful magicians who use magic to fight evil. Adrien is extremely clever with his spells and potions, but Marinette is often clumsy and her magic is sometimes unstable. But when they turn into Ladybug and Chat Noir, they become the strongest witches in the world. Balancing a life of magic, secret identities and love is hard; the pressure starts to make them wonder if they’re really using their magic for good or for evil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Monster In The Woods

Adrien wasn’t the type to be sneaking around in the dark. In fact, he often scolded others for doing the same, but these were different circumstances. With circumstances like these, he couldn’t afford to waste any time; even seconds were precious when it came to magic.

His lantern did little to scatter the shadows of the castle. The windows rattled with the wind, the air around him cold and stale. The floor stung his bare feet as he skulked silently through the abandoned halls.

“She’ll figure it out, you know.” A voice whispered at his shoulder.

“Shush, Plagg.” Adrien told it as he hurried down the West Hall. The air slowly grew thick with the smell of mold and rot, the smell of magic.

“She won’t fall for it, I’m sure of it. She’s too smart.” Adrien eased the doors to the East Passage open. The atmosphere was awake and alive, like it was watching him and every move he made.

“I know.” He said. “I’ve got a plan.” Plagg rolled his eyes.

“Sure you do.” The boy ran as quietly as he could down the corridor and stopped at a narrow wooden door with a copper plate, labeled ‘BREWING ROOM’. “It’s gonna be locked.” His kwami muttered.

Adrien tentatively turned the black handle. The door squeaked open. He smiled. “But it’s not.”

“Which is suspicious.” Plagg mumbled, but even he was twitching with anticipation. There was something about the way the world seemed when you were doing something wrong. It was almost like everything had eyes; and those eyes were fixed on you. The floorboards creaked as Adrien tiptoed across them. The windows on the far wall let the moon’s light cast swirling shadows throughout the cavernous classroom.

Adrien set his light down on one of the tables and stared up at the gloom of the tall ceiling. “Let’s get to work.” He said, mostly to himself.

And so the boy lugged one of the bronze cauldrons from shelves, found the largest burner and the largest knife, and started to chop a bar of chocolate. 

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

“Of course I do.” Adrien replied. He threw the chocolate pieces into the cauldron, where they melted almost immediately, along with mint, water, lemon zest, and a dried buttercup. A strange bitter smell filled the air around them. After five minutes, he turned the burner off and poured in orange essence and honeysuckle nectar. His surroundings jolted and lurched when the first drop of nectar hit the cauldron.

The boy fumbled for his wand; a thin strip of carved birch. He tapped the sides of the cauldron, smoothed his sleeves and his coat, and cleared his throat.

Before he could even utter a word, it blew up. A puff of heart shaped smoke erupted from it, the BOOM echoing through the room and the halls of the castle.

“Run!” Plagg screeched. Adrien swiped his ingredients into his bag and flew from the room. He rushed down the East Passage and was already down the Underground Corridor when the first teachers were arriving outside the Brewing Room.  
........................................................................................................................... 

“Where in the world were you last night?” Nino whispered to him in their Creative Summoning class. Adrien looked sheepishly down at his book.

“I was… being stupid.” He sighed.

“Were you the one who caused that explosion?” Nino asked. Adrien looked at him grimly and nodded. His friend’s mouth twitched.

“Don’t laugh.” Adrien hissed. Nino covered his mouth with his hand. 

“I’m not laughing.” He said in a strangled voice.

“You two!” Their professor called. “Pay attention!” The boys’ heads turned back to their textbooks and the woman continued to drone on about the importance of neat handwriting. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marinette, with her too large school shirt rolled up at the sleeves, and her too large hat on the table beside her, the tail piling down at the floor. She was looking at him with a concerned look on her face.

He smiled and she blushed, but she turned back to her notes with a much more relaxed expression.  
............................................................................................................................... 

When the school hours were over, and Adrien was packing his books back into his bag, Nino waved him over to where he, Nathanaël, and Juleka were talking.

“We’re going to the forest today. People are saying that they’re seeing the first signs of snow and ice bugs, and we’re gonna go try and catch some.”

“Weather bugs are impossible to catch.” Adrien said dubiously. 

“That’s what I said.” Nathanaël muttered.

“It’ll be fun.” Juleka insisted. “Trust me.”

“Alya, you’ll come, right?” Nino called to the girl in question as she passed with Marinette at her side.

“Where?” She asked and the two joined their circle.

“The woods.”

“Are you going?” Alya turned to Adrien, who after a moment, shrugged.

“Why not?” The girl shrugged as well.

“We’ll both come. Right, Marinette?” They turned to blue-haired girl. She looked around at the others and then nodded.

“Sure.” 

“Let’s go then!” Nino said as he swung his bag over his shoulder.

“Can’t.” Juleka huffed. “I have another stupid class.”

“Me too,” Nathanaël added. “How about we meet at eight instead?”

“Alright, eight it is.” Nino announced, and the others scooped up their belongings and left. As Adrien passed the two inseparable friends in the hall, he told them,

“I’m glad you’ll be coming.” And he smiled warmly. Alya grinned and Marinette blushed, but smiled shyly back. “See you later.” He waved and then he hurried to his room, resolving to finish as much homework as he possibly could without killing his brain.  
................................................................................................................................ 

It was seven o’clock when Adrien finally gave up on his math homework. Charm Making, Broom Crafting, Defying Physics; he could do those things. But not math. 

The sky was dark outside his window, the moon peeking through gaps in the blue clouds. He could hear the rustling of dead leaves as they flew from their branches to the ground. The creaks of floorboards above and below him filled his room as other students returned to their rooms.

Plagg looked up from his cheese. “You still have time to try to do your potion. You never know when you’ll see her again.”

Adrien yawned and rested his head in his hand. “I thought you didn’t want me to.” The kwami shrugged and buried his head in his cheese once more. The boy moved around his dorm, pulling out his uniform coat and lacing his boots. Plagg jumped into his hood, and with his bag around his shoulders, he snuck down the West Hall and the Eastern Passage once again.

The rotten smell of magic was disgustingly strong in the classroom. He placed his bag on the now charred table and tapped his wand against his lip. “What went wrong last time?” He wondered aloud.

“Did you follow the instructions?”

“Down to the last detail.” Adrien paced the room. “Did I forget something?” Plagg shrugged.

“Do you need anything from her to bind the spell? A hair or something?” The boy gasped. He put his hand to his forehead.

“I forgot about that part.” 

“No wonder it exploded.” Plagg snorted. The clock tower rang out its mournful tune and tolled the eighth hour. Adrien groaned but packed his things and packed up Plagg, and then ran down the hall for a third time in two days.  
............................................................................................................................................ 

Marinette, Nino and Alya were already there when he stumbled down the hill. They carried lanterns and wands, except Marinette, who thought to bring something to keep the weather bugs in, but not a light, and she looked rather sheepish about it.

“Juleka and Nathanaël aren’t here.” Alya noted.

“Should we wait?” Said Marinette.

“It’s already fifteen past.” Nino grumbled. 

“They’re probably just running late. Let’s go ahead, they can’t be far behind.” Adrien reasoned, and after checking a map, they set off into the forest. The forest, with its bare trees, leaf covered ground, and bright green moss.

Adrien fell into step beside Marinette. She was tapping each side of her jar with her pinkie finger, sealing it with a simple spell. It glowed a soft, sage green before returning to a normal container.

“It was smart of you to bring that,” He said to her and she jumped slightly. “If you didn’t, we’d have to carry anything we found in our pockets.” He laughed and she giggled uncertainly. Adrien studied her for a moment before continuing to talk to her; about school, weather, winter vacation, anything he could think of. He was rather desperate to keep speaking to her. She didn’t say a lot; she was always a shy person, and what she did manage to say didn’t always make a lot of sense, but she had a sincere smile, so Adrien still liked to talk to her. 

“When I tried to hand in our last poison assignment, I tripped and it fell straight into someone’s cup of Liquid Fire!” Marinette laughed and Adrien smiled. “Ms. Weatherstone was nice about it, but I still got a zero. So for this week’s, I’ll have to…” His voice trailed off. Ahead of them, Nino and Alya stopped walking.

“Listen.” Alya whispered. For a brief moment, the woods were silent. Not a single bird chirped, not a squirrel or chipmunk rustled in the leaves.

Marinette gasped.

“Look!” She exclaimed, pointing to the trees ahead of them. A small, white light flickered faintly as it moved slowly around the trunk that it was stuck on.

“Is that an actual ice bug?” Adrien said in disbelief.

“Catch it, quick!” Alya cried. 

Adrien and Nino threw a spell at the same time. The air around them snapped, as it always did when magic was being used. The smell of smoke and must rose, and Marinette walked slowly into the dust of the spells.

“We got it!” She called. “We actually got it!” She emerged with an immobilized beetle in her jar. The insect was white and gray; it’s back covered in swirls. It was shiny and frosty, like it was made from ice. The glass of the jar around it was foggy.

The four friends cheered, but it didn’t last for long. The forest was still as quiet as death.

“Why is it-” Adrien started.

“Shh!” Marinette held up a hand. There was a distant creeeeeeeeeeak…

And then there was a deafening BOOM.

And then there was a shadow, walking towards them.


	2. Ladybug and Chat Noir

Marinette ran as fast as she could. Tree roots and streams and branches and thorns slowed her down, but there was no avoiding them. She was moving farther into the woods; where it became darker and thicker with unknown things and beings. The stench of smoke and decay filled her lungs, watering her eyes.

She could hear Adrien’s footfalls ahead of her. To her left, somewhere in the forest, were Nino and Alya. 

And somewhere behind them was a thing.

Marinette didn’t wait long to see who it was, or what it was. After it threw the first tree at them, she turned on her heel and hurried away.

BOOM. The ground shook with the impact of another tree. Marinette risked a glance behind her shoulder.

That thing, that monster, sauntered slowly through the woods, as if it knew that they wouldn’t get away. Its thin frame was swathed in shadows, and it was tall. Forty feet tall. It was very careful to stay in the darkness, but Marinette could see three glowing golden eyes, peering through the gloom.

She turned back around and saw Adrien. His face was smeared with dirt and cuts, but he still managed to look handsome.

“This way!” He called to her. She caught up to him quickly, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her down. Suddenly she was falling.

“What in the-”

“Quiet!” Adrien whispered. Marinette looked around a realized she was in a hole. Five feet above her was a small opening, where she could see the tops of the trees and the dark sky. Adrien gripped her arm tightly; her head was close enough to him to hear his heart beating rapidly. 

Thump, thump, thump. The footsteps of the monster slowly grew closer. Fear threatened to leap out of her throat in a scream. The thing stopped, right next to where they hid. There was a ripping sound, and the footsteps continued away. They waited in silence for a moment. Adrien shakily got to his feet and looked out. He gasped. Marinette forced herself up and joined him, and the two watched the monster move away.

A tree, glowing with a dark purple light, floated above it.

The two sank back down into the hollow. They didn’t speak for a long, strange minute. He stood abruptly. “Stay here.” He said, and he lifted himself out.

“Wait!” Adrien looked back down at her. “You can’t go out there!” He flashed her a brilliant smile.

“I’ll be fine. Just stay here until I come back.” And then he was gone. Marinette stared at the opening of the hole in shock. She pressed her hands to the sides of her face and shook her head.

“Tikki!” She called, and out from her pocket sprang a little red faerie. “O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh what do I do?” She moaned.

“First thing’s first, Marinette,” Tikki said in a calming voice. “What’s the biggest problem?”

“That thing!” Her voice wavered. “But Nino and Alya and Adrien are all out there with it!”

“They’ll be fine,” Her kwami patted her hand. “The monster shouldn’t be that hard, it’s an akuma, after all.” Marinette took a deep breath.

“Tikki!” She said with more confidence. “Transform me!” The faerie spiraled into her earing, and she felt power surge into her. There was a comforting weight on her ears, and Marinette felt the knots of worry in her stomach unfurl. 

She was Ladybug. She could do anything.

Ladybug jumped out of the hollow with ease. With a swish of her arm, her broom appeared in her hand, and she rose slowly above the forest. She saw the woods extend further and further, and she saw where it ended at the base of their castle. The path of the monster was plain; it left a glittery purple trail, along with the smell of rot.

She found Nino and Alya, who were, mercifully, alive. Scared, but alive. Ladybug sighed with relief. They were safe, but where was-

Ladybug griped her broom. She couldn’t see him.

Don’t worry, she told herself. He’s fine. He’s alright.

“Now,” She told herself aloud. “Where’s our akuma?” Her broom kicked into motion and she zoomed across the trees, following the purplish black path. The overwhelming aroma of rancid flesh washed over Ladybug as she flew.

“Oh,” She breathed as she saw the massive silhouette of the monster approaching. And for the first time, she was able to see what it really was, and soon she wished she hadn’t.

It wore a black cloak, similar to the ones all students wore. Underneath, it was nothing but bones. Massive gray bones. Its hands glowed with an eerie purple light. It swung around and Ladybug found herself staring at two heads, half fused together. Each head had its own eye, and they shared one where they met in the middle. A small golden light illuminated the inside of its skulls. It swatted at something hovering by its ear. As she drew closer, she realized it was Chat Noir, floating in circles around its head. He had a grim and slightly worried expression on his normally relaxed features.

He spotted her and smiled with relief. “Just in time, my lady!” He called to her.

Ladybug grinned. “How’s it going?” He quickly dodged another swipe.

“Not bad, just,” Chat Noir turned his body upside down. “Hanging.” He winked. “After we take care of this guy,” He kicked off of the monster’s shoulder and floated over to be next to her. “We should go for a stroll. A romantic walk in the moonlight.”

“What moonlight?” Ladybug said with a smirk as she considered the gloomy black sky. Chat Noir snapped his fingers and the haze that covered the moon parted. She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.  
“Have you figured out anything about it?” Ladybug changed subjects as they rose slowly above the thing’s head.

“Not really,” He answered as he pulled his hood back, looking down at the woods, his eyes searching. “It’s big and really powerful. Can’t imagine who it could be.”

“Do you see any objects on it?” Ladybug peered closer at the monster as it slowly started to walk again. Chat Noir shrugged and pulled a charm from one of the many pockets on his cloak. He folded the charm into a cube and pulled the string out with his teeth.

He threw it with alarming accuracy at the akuma’s head. It exploded in a blindingly bright green flash. The sound reverberated through the woods. For a moment, everything was still. Then the thing fell face first into the forest, dragging down all the trees around it.

“You think that worked?” Chat Noir wondered as they flew down to stand beside the motionless monster.

“Maybe,” Ladybug muttered as she peered into its empty skulls. The golden light inside flickered around like a fire, swaying, gesturing her in like an invitation.

“Be careful!” She heard her partner call as she stepped inside. 

“What is this?” She whispered. The light dazzled her eyes. It was mesmerizing, like looking at a waterfall that fell like sand, or like branches waving to you in the wind, or-

The monster began to move.

And Ladybug was trapped inside of it.  
...................................................................................  


The light cast a golden shield around the skulls of the giant. Any opening was closed off by the weird glow. Ladybug could see Chat Noir staring in horror as the akuma rose to its feet. He shot off the ground and tried to reach her, but this time, the thing was angry. And with a swish of its hand, her partner disappeared.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug shouted, and she kicked and punched at the middle eye’s barrier. Impatient, she drew out her dark, curving wand and swirled it three times. “BREAK.” She whispered.

The force of the spell sent her sliding back, but she kept her hand steadily aimed on the monster’s eye socket. The scent of lavender and mint filled the foul air. Her hex scraped against the sides of the thing’s skulls, gripping onto whatever it might find, trying to eat away at anything it could. Ladybug’s wand grew hot in her hand. CRACK!

She let the spell slip away, and the heat of her magic dwindled away. The shield around the monster’s heads flickered, and went out.

Ladybug kicked her broom to life and stepped up to the edge of the eye. Her foot hovered in midair and then she-

“Wait.” Rasped a voice behind her. 

She swung around, broom raised. The skulls were empty, except for the light in the middle.

“Help…” The light whispered. The hairs on Ladybug’s neck stood on end. She slid slowly down to the glowing, flickering fire.

Ladybug stared at it, unease settling in her throat. “Hello?”

“HELP US!” It screamed. She jumped back, her heart pounding.

“Who are you?” Ladybug shouted over the flame’s screeches.

A hand made of fire and light shot out and clamped down on her wrist. It pulled her head into the center of its light, and Ladybug saw many things.

She saw a pair of hands draining black liquid into a green potion. Then she saw flesh rotting away into nothing but bones. A smile turning black, and flash of green, and searing pain in her face. Sun peeking through clouds. Fog rising from the ground. Snaps of twigs and screams. Double vision. Confusion. And then she felt nothing, right where her heart ought to be.

Ladybug drew back. Horror was etched on every one of her features.

“You’re not a-”

The monster lurched and Ladybug was thrown back. And out the middle eye. 

But her broom was still stuck inside the heads.

And the ground was advancing fast.

SWISH! Ladybug’s legs collided together and her shoulder hit something hard. She was rising, slowly and steadily, being held tightly around her shoulders and her knees. “Chat Noir!” She exclaimed. He was dirty and his clothes slightly torn, but he grinned widely.

“My lady,” He said, laughter in his voice. But then his grinned turned into a look of worry as he stared at the thing, which was staring at them. The fall and the adrenaline left Ladybug feeling rather like a noodle, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up. Chat Noir landed in a tree and set her on her feet. “Stay here,” He told her. He shot himself back into the air and toward the monster.

“Wait!” Ladybug called, but he was too far away. 

Chat Noir pulled out his white wand. He twirled it twice in his left hand, reared back with his right, and the inside of his skin lit up in orange.

“Oh no,” Ladybug muttered.

“LIGHT UP.” His voice boomed.

The air burst into life. The hairs on her arms pricked and every bit of exposed skin tingled with energy. Her muscles tensed. The overpowering smell of honey and cinnamon hit her. Light erupted from the tip of his wand, flashing and pulsing and writhing and trying to take hold of the monster. It screeched, the golden orb of light inside flickering. Chat Noir’s wand threw white sparks and heat continuously.

Spells like theirs never really stopped.

Ladybug threw her wand in the air. She bounced it off her knee into her hand, and tapped it over her eyes.

“STOP.” She said. The air seemed to scream with energy. Her hair stood on end; she felt the tug on her body as gravity changed. Mint burned at her eyes, and a red glow throbbed from the inner etchings of her wand. The light enveloped her and with a throw, she tossed the spell to the monster and Chat Noir.

His skin returned to normal, and his wand fell heavy and hot in his hands. The thing’s purple aura dissipated to nothing. Chat Noir turned to her, shocked. The air of the forest was quiet. There was no more strange smells, no energy in the air, and no magic around anywhere.

Her partner landed on the tree next to her.

“Why in the world did you-”

“It’s not an akuma.” Ladybug cut him off. She turned to the monster as the now familiar scent of rot and death slowly filled the air once more.

“What?” 

The smell was chokingly strong. The monster’s purple lights returned.

It roared and the ground lit up in flames.

Chat Noir jumped but Ladybug was unfazed. Jinxed fire wasn’t like normal flames; it couldn’t really burn anything. Magic always had its limits.

“It’s something else entirely.” Ladybug told him as the heat of the fire rose. Embers of orange and red flew into the air. They were silent as they watched the monster retreat into the woods, in the vague direction of the castle. 

Chat Noir looked down. “So there’s nothing we can do? We’re just gonna let it go?” 

“What can we do?” Ladybug said. “If we fight it, it’ll get hurt. It won’t be okay in the end like akumas. We might kill whatever it is.” 

“There has to be a way!” He exclaimed. “We have to help it!” 

They stared at the monster as it shuffled further and further away. Ladybug’s earrings chimed her last few minutes. “Wait.” Chat Noir said before she could even move. “I-” His green eyes stared into her blue ones. “Never mind. See you later.” He squeezed her hand tightly. 

And then he was gone. 


	3. Creatures In The Night

Adrien twirled the black strand of hair in his fingers. The clocks in the castle struck two in the morning, but he was up in the classroom anyway, with Plagg dozing off on his right, and his wand on his left, jittering with magic.

The other night, he left Ladybug as Chat Noir, and by the time he got back to Marinette, he was Adrien. She looked tired and a little beat up, but she was on high alert and saved him several times before he could fall into a hole or a pond. They met up with Nino and Alya and went straight to the teachers’ office.

The professors told them to go to bed and let them handle it. Adrien was fine with that; he’d fought enough that night. But the next night, this night, that black hair he had taken from Ladybug kept him up.

“I shouldn’t do it,” He now told Plagg. His kwami yawned and glared.

“I thought that there was nothing in the world that would stop you from doing it.” Adrien groaned and put his head in his hands.

“It’s wrong, isn’t it? I shouldn’t force anything on her. Right?” Plagg sat up.

“You sound conflicted.” The boy stood up and knocked his chair over.

“Of course I’m conflicted!” Adrien pressed his hands to the sides of his face. It had been a long two days for the boy; after fighting and losing to the monster, he’d become strangely tired and confused. That in addition to his Ladybug problem and the stress of his math homework, he was ready to quit and become a farmer. “I just don’t know what I should be doing about this.” He whispered.

The motes of dust in the air suddenly stopped swirling; the clocks on the walls didn’t tick. The atmosphere froze and Adrien felt a strange urge to lie down, to close his eyes. His chest was heavy and his legs were like lead. It would feel so much better to just…

Freeze.

A freeze spell. Adrien knew immediately what it was. It was impossible, but there was nothing else that could change the air like that. He forced himself to pick up his wand and move his feet over to the door. The thin strip of wood didn’t creak when he eased it open. The hall was dark, but the lantern of a student lay abandoned on the carpet, threatening to open and release the glow worms inside. Next to it was a pool of deep, dark red liquid. The boy gripped his wand so tight that the etchings cut into his palms. He could feel his heartbeat quicken; the smell of magic and death hung around him.

“Plagg,” Adrien commanded. “Transform me!” The creature spiraled into his ring, where he settled, surging strength throughout Adrien’s body. His doubts, his worries, they all melted into nothing. 

Chat Noir’s eyes snapped open and he grinned.

It felt so good to be him.

Chat Noir slinked down the halls, keeping to the shadows. He followed the thin trail of red through the Eastern Passage and into the First Tower. The world was completely still; the wooden stairs didn’t groan under his weight, the windows didn’t rattle with the wind. 

There was a loud THUMP above him. He shifted his wand into his left hand and crouched below the landing. The drops of blood led him up onto the roof. He forced the reluctant trapdoor open and he climbed out in the cold, dark night.

Chat Noir gasped.

Marinette stood in front of him. Her hands left deep red prints on her sleeves and her uniform, her cheeks splattered. Her coat was dusty, her hair tangled and in knots. She wiped her brow and turned. 

Her blue eyes widened.

“What in the world happened to you?!” Chat Noir exclaimed.

“Oh,” Marinette said slowly. “I found a bluebird stuck in the hall, a student must’ve accidentally let it in earlier.”

“But-” He sputtered. “Why are you covered in blood?”

“Blood?” The girl cried. “This is paint!” 

“I thought-” Chat started. “Never mind. Why do you have so much paint on you?” Marinette blushed slightly.

“I was-I ran into a shelf.” She blinked slowly. “Hey, why are you here in the first place?”

“I saw the paint and I just assumed-”

“Oh.” The girl laughed. “It probably looked pretty freaky, huh?” She bent down to pick up her bag and her wand. “Sorry to trouble you then.”

“It’s fine.” Chat Noir said and he meant it. She looked awfully pretty out in the night, with the thin sliver of moon glittering in her eyes… 

Marinette walked past him, yawning, and she descended back into the tower. A thought struck him like a bolt of lightning.

“Wait!” He called after her. He jumped down the trapdoor, and she turned around in surprise. “Did you do the freeze spell?” Marinette’s sleepy smile melted.

“Freeze spell?” She echoed. “No-no way! I can’t do time spells, no one in this school should be doing-”

BOOM!

The sound resonated through the castle. The rickety wooden floor they stood on shook and Chat Noir could feel time lurch and stop again. It made him feel slightly lightheaded, but he was powerful. Magic like that couldn’t affect him.

But it definitely had an impact on Marinette. She was fine with the first jinx, but the second wave knocked her off her feet. 

“Are you alright?” Chat Noir asked as he crouched down next to her.

“I’m fine,” She murmured. She yawned loudly. “Just tired.” Chat bit his lip. 

“Don’t fall asleep.” He ordered her as he hauled her up. “You won’t wake up until the spell wears off.”

“Right,” Marinette mumbled. Her knees wobbled, but the boy caught her. 

“It must be stronger this time.” He muttered. 

Then he grinned.

“Worry not, princess!” Chat Noir picked the girl up, holding her with one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. “I, your loyal knight, will save you!” Marinette seemed to wake up at that.

“What are you-” Chat leaped, not to be bothered by stairs. They fell the thirty feet, the boy laughing as the witch in his arms screamed and tightened her grip on his neck. He landed lightly on his feet. “Are you trying to kill m-”

Chat Noir was running down the hall before she could finish. The air was thick and made it hard to move. But he was Chat Noir. He could run as fast as he wanted, with whatever girl in his arms he wanted. Though, at that moment, he couldn’t quite think of another girl he’d rather carry so close.

They were drawing closer to the source of the jinx. He could tell by the air, and also by how drowsy Marinette was becoming.

The spell was dropped, and the girl in his arms snapped awake. 

There was a scream. Marinette pulled herself away from him and ran in the direction of the sound, with Chat chasing after her.

The shriek led them out into the Southern Gardens. The place was stuck in the middle of the lower wings, surrounded on all sides by the giant black stones of the castle walls, but it was swallowed in ivy and ferns and birches. Like someone accidentally threw a bucket of plants in the spaces in-between the school.

“Look,” Marinette whispered. The boy moved to stand next to her.

Ahead of them was a shadow, tall and thin. It was pure black, silhouetted by the moon’s light. It was bent over, peering at something that lay on the floor.

“Hey!” Chat Noir shouted. The creature turned. A pair of glowing green eyes stared at them. Strands of deep magenta hair escaped from its hood.

In a flash, it disappeared. 

..................................................................

“Who’s doing a love potion?” Marinette asked as she walked into the Brewing Room. 

“I have no idea!” Chat Noir said as he swiped his bag off the table and under the desks. The girl collapsed into the chair he had previously been sitting in, and Chat took the seat across from her. 

“Do you know what that thing was?” She asked him.

“It looked a lot like that monster from yesterday.” He replied, but that’s all he could really answer with. Neither of them was able to fully look at the creature; it was there for about two seconds.

Marinette drew out her dark wand and cleared her throat.

“Tea.” She said, but there was a slight question in her voice, as if she were asking instead of commanding. A mug assembled itself in front of her, but the drink that was supposed to be in it ended up five feet to the left.

Marinette groaned and let her head fall in defeat.

Chat Noir smiled and flicked the cup with his pinkie. It was immediately filled with deep brown, steaming liquid.

“Thanks,” The girl murmured. He waved his hand and his own mug appeared. Marinette sighed. “I can never do that spell.” She paused. “Or any spell, really.”

“What do you mean?” Chat asked.

“Today I turned my steel into rubber; I made a bunny instead of a chair, my egg totally smashed when I dropped it, my fresh water had salt in it and I almost electrocuted Rose.” She glared at her cup. “With the bunny.”

The boy threw his head back and laughed. He apparently, had missed quite a bit when he decided to sleep in that day.

“It’s not funny!” Marinette protested. “The only thing I’m good at in this school is math and that’s not even magic.”

“Maybe you could ask the Head for a tutor. They have people sign up every year for it.” Adrien was one of them; not really by choice. He had gotten the letter and his father enlisted him.

“I doubt it’d make a difference.” She said sullenly. “Maybe I should quit magic and go back to normal school.”

“No! I’d miss you.” He said before he could stop himself.

Marinette blinked.

“You would?” Chat Noir blushed.

“Y-yeah.” The girl’s cheeks turned a charming shade of pink.

They were silent for a long while.

“You’re good at magic, Marinette.” He said eventually. She looked up in surprise. “I know that, and you shouldn’t give up.”

“Do you know me?” Marinette leaned forward, a curious look in her eyes. Chat Noir rested his elbows on the table, their noses almost touching.

“Better than you think, princess.”

Marinette pulled away from him, red in the face. 

“Goodnight, Chat Noir.” She said stiffly. She picked up her bag and her wand and her mug, and swept out of the room.


	4. A Corner In The Library

Marinette’s head snapped up from the pool of drool it was laying in on her bedroom’s desk. Tikki mumbled groggily as she sat up. She stretched her limbs and Marinette wiped her cheek as they blinked blearily in the morning light.

“What time is it?” Her kwami mumbled. The witch yawned and pulled out her cell phone.

“Seven.” The girl pushed herself onto her feet. She slowly made her way over to her bed, where she started untying her shoes that she’d left on.

“Your class started half an hour ago, didn’t it?” Tikki said. Marinette started tying her shoes again. “And you still have paint on your clothes.” The girl groaned and fell back onto the bed.

“Can’t I just skip for today?”

“And get even worse grades than you already have?” Marinette hurried to the sink and scrubbed her face. She pulled her coat on over her red uniform and buttoned it. 

“I just won’t take it off.” She told Tikki as she grabbed her book bag and rushed out the door.

“You shouldn’t have stayed up so late.” The faerie sighed as they hastened down the abandoned hall. 

“Someone has to figure out where the monster came from.” Marinette protested. “And there’s another one now, and who knows how many others?” The girl and her companion skidded to a halt in front of a giant black door. The silver plaque labeled it, ‘POISON. CAUTION: TOXIC AIR.’ She eased it open as silently as she could and slipped into the dark classroom.

The smell of death and ginger made her ears pop. She crept over to her counter, listening to her teacher talk about the importance of rotten strawberries. Her eyes finally adjusted and she realized that Alya was looking at her with her signature, ‘don’t think I’m not gonna ask you about this later,’ glare, Adrien and Nino were staring at her shoes, and their teacher was frowning at three empty seats.

“In any case,” The professor continued. Marinette’s cheeks grew warm as she felt the stares of several classmates. “I’ll be handing back last week’s assignments.” The man pulled out a tray of basil stalks in varying stages of life, most of them brown and wilting. He handed each student their plant, congratulated Adrien on his, which was black and visibly swelling.

But then he got to Marinette, and he handed her a bright, cheery green little thing covered in small white flowers.

“How did you do that?” Mylène whispered from behind her. The girl simply groaned and rested her face in her hands as an answer. Another fifteen minutes of rotten strawberries continued until the professor dismissed them. Alya opened her mouth to speak, but the teacher interrupted.

“Marinette, would you come here please.” A bubble of nervousness popped in her chest. Her friend patted her arm and left with the other students, leaving the girl alone.

“Yes?” She asked as she walked to the front desk.

“I wanted to talk to you about your… plant.” They looked down at the happy basil in her hands. “I fear you may not be able to pass this class if you continue this way.” The man peered at her over his glasses.

Marinette took a deep breath and remembered something from that night. “I think,” She sighed. “I’ll sign up for a tutor after classes today.”

“That’s a smart idea.” The professor noted. “With midterms coming up, you’ll want to study as much as you can.”

“Thank you, sir.” The girl said.

“By the way,” He said before she could march away. “Is that blood on your shoes?” Marinette looked down at her boots. The toes were covered in red.

“It’s paint.” The girl mumbled with growing embarrassment.   
.............................................................  
The rest of the day continued in a pattern. They were handed back assignments, in the forms of plants, papers, objects, lightbulbs and hairbrushes. Marinette’s was always exactly what it shouldn’t be, and the teachers always called her to the front after the class ended.

“I’m not sure if you’ll be able to pass like this,” They would say, some in nicer tones than others. “Perhaps you should consider a tutor.”

So by the end of the school hours Marinette was close to ripping out her hair. “Am I really that bad that I need a tutor for every class?” Alya shrugged.

“I bet they’re exaggerating. Trying to scare you into studying more.” Her friend thought for a moment. “You’re really good at math though.”

“That doesn’t count!” Marinette cried.

“I’ll go with you to the Head’s office. Maybe you’ll be able to start right away.” The two walked down the hall, past the First Tower and to the Last Steeple. The stairs spiraling upwards were made from white marble, and the walls on the landing above were painted a pale blue. A girl sitting at a white desk waved them into a brightly lit room.

The ceiling was covered in strands of tinted glass and beads. The light from the windows hit them and sent colors pouring over the walls and floor. A woman sat behind a long, black desk. She was gaunt and pale, with severe black hair spiraling up into a bun. But she had smiling pink lips and a pretty glint in her blue eyes.

“Hello,” She said in a soft voice. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Alya Césaire.” She nodded to a pair of blue chairs. “Please have a seat.”

“Hello, Headmistress.” The two said in unison.   
“I-well, I’m looking into finding a tutor.” Marinette said with fading confidence. The woman simply smiled and pulled out a file.

“What subject were you thinking of?”

“Well,” The girl started. “All my subjects.” The lady looked up, somewhat surprised.

“Except math.” Alya spoke up. The woman behind the desk flipped through the papers quickly, a faint frown on her face.

“Aha!” She said at last, her smile returning. “I knew we had one. Luckily, we have a student who tutors for all your grade’s classes.” She looked up, an amused sparkle in her eyes. “Except math.”

“Perfect!” Alya said. “Who is it?”

“He’s in your grade, it seems.” She squinted at the name. “Do you know an Adrien Agreste?” The two girls jumped in surprise. “I guess you do.” The woman pulled out another file and looked from each of the two. “It seems he tutors all your classes, except math,” She laughed. “So I’ll put you on his list, alright?”

Marinette nodded numbly.

“It seems he doesn’t have any other people in his log, so he should be free for anytime you’re available. I could even set up an appointment for today, if you like.”

“Yes.” Alya answered for Marinette. “That’d be great. Thank you so much.” Alya pulled the girl to her feet and walked her out the door into the reception room.

“Who would’ve guessed.” The girl with glasses said after a pause.

“Adrien.” Marinette said blankly.

“Works out pretty well though, I mean, now you have a reason to work harder. So you can impress him, right?”

“Adrien is my tutor.” The girl said.

“So pull yourself together! And change your shoes, it looks like you’ve been walking through the Blood Marshes.”  
...........................................................  
“Hi, Marinette.” Adrien said cheerily as he met her outside the library. “I was surprised when they said I had someone on my list. Rarely anyone signs up for tutors.” He paused. “Probably because they’d rather deal with bad grades than their pride.” 

“I suppose so.” Marinette said, trying to sound positive. The boy looked at her for a moment.

“Are you sure you need a tutor for everything? I’m sure some of the teachers were just trying to scare you.” The girl shook her head.

“No, it’s true. I’m pretty bad at a lot of things. Except math.” She laughed. So did he as they walked into the massive library.

“Well, maybe you could tutor me then. I’m absolutely terrible at math.” He led her past several aisles and then behind them all to a darker corner, lit by a few golden lamps. “I like this part best, because it’s way easier to concentrate.” He placed his bag on the desk and sat across from her. “So,” He said with a smile. “Where should be start?” Marinette’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt the strange feeling that she always got around him.

She was being pushed up against a wall and all her words were being shoved away and out her mouth in a jumbled mess. Her throat tightened, and she almost started to try and speak to him the way she always did; letting the gushing barrier of words fall out through her lips. But she took a deep breath and smiled.

“Creative Summoning. I don’t want to conjure another electrifying rabbit any time soon.”  
...........................................................  
While Marinette was waiting for Adrien to finish double-checking her Possible History homework, he looked up suddenly as if a thought had just occurred to them.

“Last night,” He said, and her eyes widened. “I heard some weird noises. I even walked out into the hall but I couldn’t see anything.” Marinette’s chest tightened with fear. Adrien had actually gone out into the castle at night, with that new monster on the loose. “Did you hear anything?” He said. He was watching her, waiting for her to say something. 

Marinette swallowed. “At what time?”

“Maybe a little after two.”

“Actually, I saw something.” The girl started, not entirely sure what she was saying. “I was up and-and I saw something that looked a lot like that thing in the woods.” Adrien’s face didn’t change as he leaned forward.

“Did you tell a teacher?” Marinette shook her head. “Well, they haven’t done anything about the last one, but maybe they’ll pay more attention with two.” He stood up. “We’ll do that now, and we’ll come back here after.”

They began walking down the aisles. “By the way,” He said. “Why were you up at two in the first place?” Marinette flushed. She thought back to midnight, when she heard a scuffle and went to investigate. She thought back to when she got lost and ran into a shelf and found a trapped bird and was then whisked away by Chat Noir…

Adrien was watching her. “I couldn’t sleep.” She said. They walked into the front area when there was a shriek.   
Suddenly shelves were falling over and it was raining books. Students and confused librarians ran and screamed as aisles of books came collapsing down upon each other. In the center of it all was a tall, thin black silhouette. It was too hunched and big to be a human. It whirled around and faced them with deep, glowing eyes.

“Another one?” Adrien said incredulously. The monster roared and Marinette saw a flash of bones. The smell of rotting flesh hit them, watering her eyes. She blinked and saw a bookshelf, just as big and heavy as the other ones, flying towards them as if it weighed nothing.

“Watch out!” The girl was hit with sudden weight, though not nearly as hard as it should’ve been. Adrien has his arms wrapped around her. And before her mind could get itself past this thought, the room shook with an earsplitting BOOM!

Glass shattered and Marinette caught a glimpse of the thing as it threw itself out of one of the giant windows. 

As the last sounds of tinkling glass and thuds of books died away, the groups of students slowly started to whisper in fear and bewilderment. Their conversations grew to outright panic.

Footsteps entered the library as a group of teachers entered. In front stood a small woman with bluish hair. She clapped and the room fell into silence.

“You all have nothing to worry about. We have everything under control. Please exit the library and continue about your business.” The students obeyed, and they all left the library in a rush.

“Where do they keep coming from?” Marinette asked Adrien as the two stared at the professors from behind the doors.

“I’m not sure.” He said. The teachers stood in a tight circle, whispering. “But I don’t think any of them are going to be much help.”

“What do you mean?” She inquired.

“Look at their faces.” He told her, and she leaned forward. “They don’t look concerned or worried at all. The first monster was two days ago and have you seen them go out in the woods to find it?” Marinette shook her head. “They’re not going to go after that thing.” He looked at her with a grim expression. “I was thinking about trying to figure who they are and where they came from by myself, but…” He paused. “Will you help?”

Marinette was surprised at first. She felt like saying that it was too dangerous for him, that he could get hurt. But she remembered when he left her in the woods to find Nino and Alya. And he came back, perfectly fine, if a little tired. He could handle himself. And if anything went wrong, then she would be able to protect him.

“I will.” She said.

“We’ll stay separated in the day,” He told her as they walked down the hall. “We’ll look for clues on our own, and when we meet up to study, we’ll discuss what we figured out. Sound good?” Marinette nodded, taking note of what he said but also lingering on the way he said ‘we’. 

They stopped where the halls divided. Adrien turned to her and smiled.

“See you tomorrow then.” He waved and took the left turn.

“See you,” Marinette echoed and inwardly screamed with joy.


	5. At Three

After Adrien had said goodbye to Marinette and turned away from her, his smiled vanished. There was a lot to think about on the long walk down the hall to his room. There were the three monsters that were running through the castle, and at first it seemed like it was just another random creature they needed to get rid of eventually. He’d been at that school for little more than two months and they already found a lion living in the basement, a vulture in a student’s room, and three fire breathing lizards under a carpet. The skeletal giant in the woods was nothing new.

But in the library, that thing tossed a twenty foot tall bookshelf like it weighed no more than a feather. And it threw it at Marinette. She didn’t even see it; if he weren’t there, if didn’t grab her in time…

Adrien didn’t want to dwell on it.

By the time he reached the wooden red door with his name on it, his chest felt like it was hollowed out and empty, like a carved pumpkin on Halloween. He threw himself face first on the bed. 

“You have a bunch of homework to do, you know.” Said a voice on his desk. Adrien turned to see Plagg sitting by a pile of papers and books.

“I know. But it can wait.” The boy stood. “Right now, we’re gonna do some investigating.” 

“I thought you agreed with that girl to do all that in between classes.”

“Yeah, but,” Adrien hesitated, and then shook his head. “She won’t have a lot of time; she’ll have to concentrate on school.” Plagg narrowed his eyes.

“Then why did you ask her to help you?”

“Well,” The boy paused. “I-I need to keep her close. To protect her. Right?”

“Why only her? There are tons of other students in the school. Why chose her specifically? You’ll be talking with her and meeting up all the time, so why did you -”

“Be quiet, Plagg!” Adrien snapped. He felt his cheeks heat up; it felt strange talking about Marinette. Especially with his kwami.

“At least wait until everyone’s gone.” He huffed, and then flew over to the boy’s drawer of cheese. Adrien rubbed his eyes and let his head rest on his pillow. He fell into an uneasy sleep.  
.........................................................  
“It’s midnight.” Plagg said to Adrien, much too loud for comfort. The boy stretched and sat up groggily. The only thing he remembered of his dream was flashes of pink and white and black.

“Right.” He said. “Plagg, transform me.”

“Wait, what? Why are you-” The kwami’s sentence was cut short as he was sucked into his ring. The cold metal turned warm and heavy. In a second, Adrien disappeared and Chat Noir took his place. He cracked his neck and smiled.

“Extra insurance.” He told Plagg, even though he couldn’t hear him.

The hallway was dark and wonderfully creepy when Chat Noir snuck out. He rather liked it that way; the darkness could hide whatever you wanted it to.

He started in the classrooms. Despite the weirdly sweet smells, nothing was out of place. He moved to the halls and towers and gardens, but nothing was disturbed. The trail the first monster left in the woods was gone; there was nothing in the Southern Gardens.

However, the library was a jumbled mess of books, shelves and desks. The window had a gaping hole in it. There were claw-like marks where the creature had put its hands. That was all.

Chat Noir picked his way through the mess to the corner of the library, which was no longer secluded and peaceful. The golden lamps were smashed, and the desk was standing only by a miracle. His bag was gone, along with Marinette’s. She must have come back at some point and took them back, planning on returning his the next day.

He smiled. She was always so thoughtful…

The clocks in the castle struck the second hour, and there was a pair of heavy footsteps nearing the library.

Chat Noir drew his wand. He was at the door in an instant, peering out into the darkness.

There was a fourth monster in the castle.

This one was much smaller than the others; probably only a foot or two taller than Chat. It wasn’t nearly as dark as the others as well. Its cloak was grey and its bones white; but it smelled just like the others. The place reeked of rot and death.

“Hey,” Chat Noir called after it as he slipped out the door. “There’s no walking in the halls after midnight.” He flipped his wand in the air and gripped it with his left hand. “Not for you, at least.” He added.

The creature turned around and stared at him with bright pink eyes.

Chat Noir threw a spell at it on impulse. The sight of its face was startling and strangely familiar. When the dust of the magic settled, the creature was no longer where it had been.

It was right next to him, breathing down his neck.

He shrieked, and the monster pulled his wand out of his hand in his attempt to get away. With a sickening SNAP! the wand broke in half.

Chat gaped in horror at the splintered remains of the wand. Adrien couldn’t do magic without it; Chat could but without a wand, nothing was powerful enough to stop a monster that could simply crack a high-level energy conductor with its bare hands.

The boy’s chances of winning had just grown extremely slim. The creature before him was quick.

And STRONG.

“That was expensive, you know.” He told it. His mind filtered through the possibilities, even as he ducked from a slash at his face. He couldn’t do any magic with his hands, that was for sure. He dodged a well-aimed swipe. He knew he wouldn’t be able to trap it, not without Ladybug. 

He had one chance.

Chat Noir jumped a few feet away from the monster, and took a deep breath. 

“CATACLYSM!” He shouted. All his power surged into an orb of darkness, floating above his palm. He crushed it with his claws, and the energy filled his arm and his hand.

He tackled the monster and plunged his hand into its face.

The scream echoed down the hall. In a flash, the thing was gone, leaving a slight black mark in the carpet and a confused and slightly proud Chat Noir.

Before all his time ticked away, he grabbed his wand and forced the pieces back together. The wand was somewhat repaired, but it took the rest of his magic away, and Chat Noir melted back into Adrien.

Plagg huffed beside him. “Coulda warned me before doing that cataclysm thing.”

“How could I have?” Adrien said with a frown. “You were in my ring.”

“It takes a lot of my power, you know!” Plagg protested as he burrowed into Adrien’s collar. “Man, I could really go for some cheese.”

The boy shivered. He brushed off his pants and his shirt and when he looked up, he found himself staring at a pair of shiny black boots. He froze. His eyes followed up striped leggings, red shorts, a belt with a polka-dotted shirt, and then to a face, partially covered by a black hat with a red and black ribbon. The person’s head shifted and he was staring into beautiful, crystal blue eyes, rimmed with a red and black mask.

“Ladybug.” Adrien breathed in awe. He could almost see her power, brimming in a silvery glow around her.

“Adrien?” She said in disbelief. “What are you doing here?” The moon pushed aside the clouds around it to stare at the two, and Ladybug’s hair lightened into a pale, bright blue. Her eyes shone with light, and Adrien could see himself reflected in them, kneeling on the floor with a dumbstruck look on his features.

“I-I was…” He stuttered. Ladybug held out a gloved hand to him and pulled him onto his feet. 

“It’s dangerous here at night.” She told him. “You shouldn’t be wandering around.”

“Yeah…” He mumbled. She touched his arm and suddenly they were standing outside his bedroom door. She checked the plaque quickly, and then nodded.

“Stay inside in the evenings from now on.” Ladybug said, her hand still on his forearm. “Please be safe.” With that, she disappeared in a flash of pink, leaving behind the scent of lavender. Adrien stared at the spot where she had stood, his mouth slightly open.

“Uh, hello? You there?” Plagg said at his shoulder.

“She…” Adrien leaned against his door. “She knew my name… and she knew where my room is… and she touched my arm…”

“She was here for like, a minute.”

“Can you believe that, Plagg?”

“Yes, very enchanting.”

“She knew my name.” Adrien sighed. “This feels like a dream. Do you think we know each other?” Plagg sighed, but it sounded more like a scream of frustration. Adrien didn’t notice.

“I’m never washing my arm again.”

The clocks in the castle tolled the third hour.


	6. The Girl And The Boy On The Rooftops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little in between bit about how Chat Noir met Ladybug. I... I've been procrastinating so just... just take this for now. And it keeps messing up the chapter number there so I'm not sure what to do about it yay

Adrien dreamt of something he often thought about that night. The memory was from a few months ago, when the stillness of winter was shaking itself awake into spring. The air was still crisp, but it was also fresh, as if the seasons were just waiting for the perfect moment to jump into warmth.

Back then, Adrien was nothing more than just plain Adrien. But that was the week that he became something new, something that was truly important. That was the week he became Chat Noir.

Now, Adrien didn’t really know what he was doing at the time. He knew he was supposed to protect his city; what from was something he still had to discover. But he wasn’t afraid. Adrien was the one who was afraid of things. Chat Noir was fearless.

In early March, on the last day of that fateful week, Adrien put aside his worries, his fears, and his homework for a moment. Chat Noir jumped out of his bedroom window and landed on the top of the building across the street. He laughed to himself. 

When he was Chat, he could LIVE.

He ran and pounced and hurdled and hopped, barely looking where he was going. After all, it didn’t matter where you landed. It only mattered that you jumped.

There was a flash of red up ahead of him. Chat Noir’s eyes narrowed. The rush of his city around him died down a little bit, and curiosity sparked in his mind.

That glimpse of color, that wasn’t a girl… was it? 

Chat sprinted across the house he was on. The figure was coming closer. With a leap, he was on the same structure as them. The windows below them cast light over her. She jumped down from the highest part of the building, and faced him.

And she was beautiful.

Her hair was so dark it was blue. Her eyes were such a pure azure the ocean reflected them. Her stance was so confident, her expression so sure. Red fabric dotted with black spread over her skin. A mask covered most of her face, but it was so thin, as if the girl behind it was so close but still safely disguised.

She looked at him with surprise and Chat Noir grinned.

“I came out to look at the stars, but,” He moved closer and closer to her, with long, precise steps. “It seems that I’ve found something even lovelier.” He was in front of her in a second, so near that their noses almost touched.

“I’m sorry,” She said, pushing him gently away. “But I was always warned not to pick up stray kitties.” She smiled, her cerulean eyes glinting with amusement. Chat could only stare. She was gorgeous, smart, strong, all wrapped up with a sweet voice and a sense of humor.

She jumped. Suddenly she wasn’t next to him, but on the chimney of the next house.

And she fast, too.

But Chat Noir could be quick as well, and he wasn’t letting her get away. He chased after her, his claws spread wide as if to catch her. She flew from roof to roof, with him right behind her, so close but just a little too far behind to truly touch her.

She looked back at him, a small smile on her lips. Her eyes were so bright, so beautiful.

And Chat was in love, and so was Adrien.

Now, the boy was used to being Chat Noir, but he would never take it for granted. And he was used to Ladybug, the girl on the rooftops, but he would never take her for granted either. That look she gave him, those glinting eyes, Adrien could never forget them. It gave him hope, in a strange way. 

Adrien turned in his bed, back at the school, with a smile on his face.


	7. A Day Of Lies

Ladybug left Adrien at his door in a rush as she felt a blush creep into her cheeks. He was always so handsome, even sitting in the middle of the floor, distraught and sleep deprived at three in the morning.

“Focus,” Ladybug reminded herself. She was walking down the halls at a clipped pace, her eyes darting from left to right. She wasn’t afraid; not for herself at least, but more for the rest of the school, all her friends and Adrien. But that still counted as being scared, and her hands were shaking as she clutched the sides of her arms. The shadows on the walls seemed to swell as she neared them, and she had no idea what they did when she passed them. She didn’t dare look back.

Her earrings beeped and she quickened her steps. She never seemed to have enough time when she was Ladybug. She used too much power to stay in her form for longer than an hour or two.

There was a shriek up ahead of her. Ladybug dug her boots into the carpet, stunned. She hesitated for another moment, but then ran as fast as she could.

Mylène was lying face down in a class room, propped up by her elbow. She was touching her face in confusion, eyes blinking as she looked around blearily.

“Are you okay?” Ladybug asked her and she lit her wand. Mylène gasped.

“Ladybug! I…” The girl rubbed her forehead. “I think I’m okay. I can’t remember anything though. And my face is numb.” She turned her face into the light and Ladybug sucked in her breath.

There was a black burn mark stretching from her hairline to her jaw. “Can you stand?” Mylène stumbled to her feet as Ladybug’s earrings beeped once more. She quickly teleported them and the woman who was asleep at the front desk of the infirmary snapped her head up.

“Oh my,” She mumbled as she realized they were there. The woman tapped her wand against the desk and an alarm started to ring in the room. Soon a pair of drowsy nurses appeared and they whisked Mylène away, who was insisting that she was fine. “What in the world happened?” The woman asked Ladybug, who shrugged. The witch turned on her heel and in a flash, was standing back in the classroom.

The room was a mess, when she started to look around. Books and chairs and tables were pushed in random directions, as if a massive force flicked them aside. Claw marks ran down the walls, and what looked like glitter was sprinkled over the floor.

“Another monster.” Ladybug said to herself, and her earrings chirped at her. She ran out of the room and down the dark hall as the sounds of ringing alarms started to reach her ears. Footsteps began to echo through the castle and Ladybug slipped into a classroom as she de-transformed. 

Tikki plopped into her hands, a tired look on her little red face. “I’m so sleepy,” The kwami yawned.

“I’ll get you something to eat, and then we’ll go back to our room,” Marinette told Tikki and they set off towards the kitchens.  
..............................................  
Marinette woke, and the hall was crowded with students. Some of them stood about, whispering to each other, and but most of them were moving around, trying to get to classes without having a mental breakdown. With her bag over her shoulder, she walked to her first class, which was Spell Control.

When she got there, it was empty, save for the teacher. The woman was writing symbols over the chalkboard in purple. She turned and smiled at Marinette.

“Well, someone came! I had a feeling no one would show up today, but good, come over here.” The woman ushered her over and had her sit in her chair. She sighed. “The thing is, this class is about how to control spells, right?”

Marinette nodded as she placed her bag down. The teacher readjusted her glasses. “I realized that everyone already knows how to do that, and the only reason people sign up is because this class required. So I figured I’d make it about how to control others with spells.” Marinette looked up.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“I was going to start today, but it’s only you here, so I guess it’ll have to do for now.” The teacher had an excited tone in her voice and she hauled the girl up to her feet.

“Now, we’re going to start with how to control yourself with a spell. Are you a good liar?” Marinette blinked.

“I’m not really sure-”

“Doesn’t matter. We’ll make you a fantastic liar.” She cleared her throat. “Say you’re sneaking out after midnight, and you’re caught by a teacher. They’ll let you go if you have a good excuse, but, you’re a horrible liar, so you quickly cast a spell to make sure you can lie you’re way out of it.” Marinette’s brow creased.

“O-okay,”

“Now all you have to do is click your heels twice and swirl your left pinkie. Before you do it, tell me you don’t have a crush on Adrien Agreste.”

“I-I-I, I what? I d-don’t have a-”

“See? That was obviously a lie. Now, do the spell.” Marinette, still blushing did as she was told and the air was bitter and cold around them. There was something sour in her throat. “Now, the teacher that caught you asks, ‘Do you have a crush on Adrien Agreste?’”

“No,” Marinette said before she could think. “I don’t.”

“Perfect!” The teacher beamed. “Try to use that spell and least two times this week. That’s all.” The woman turned around and continued her writing, and a bemused Marinette picked up her stuff and left the room. “That spell should last another minute or so!” The teacher called after her.

“That was odd,” Tikki whispered from under her hood. Marinette nodded.

The rest of the day went in the same old pattern. She would somehow mess up in class, Adrien would shoot her stares and Marinette couldn’t figure out what they meant, and throughout the day were odd whispers in nervous tones.

“What’s everyone talking about?” Alya asked her as they into their last class. Marinette shrugged.

“Please take your seats and be quiet.” The teacher told them as he looked around the room. “Now,” His voice boomed. “Adrien, please come to the front.” Marinette looked across at the boy, and he rubbed his eyes tiredly and stepped forward. “Today we will learn how to steal something far away. Adrien, please click your heels three times and clench your left hand.” The boy did as he was told, looking like he was trying hard to stay awake. “Concentrate on something in this room.” 

Adrien blinked. Marinette leaned over to Alya. “Is he okay?” She whispered, and Alya shook her head.

“Looks like he less than an hour of sleep last night.” The girl remembered when she had found him in the middle of the hall at three. What had he been doing?

The air around them smelled of bitterness and rot. All of the sudden, Marinette’s ear felt strangely light. Putting her hand to it, with horror, she realized what was gone.

Her earring was no longer there.

“Please unclench your fist and show us what is in your hand.” The teacher instructed, and the boy opened his palm. In it was a black stud, and Marinette gasped. “Very good.” The man said, and ushered a surprised Adrien back into his seat. The class continued, with Marinette uncomfortably tugging at her ear and Adrien looking over at her.

When the man finally told them to leave, the boy stood up immediately and walked over to the girl. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine,” Marinette insisted, and their hands touched briefly as he returned her earring. The girl blushed and turned away.

“I’ll see you in the Middle Courtyard in an hour, okay?” Adrien said as he was about to leave. Marinette blinked and nodded. When he was out of earshot, Alya appeared at the girl’s side with a sly smile.

“And you didn’t want to get a tutor.” Marinette rolled her eyes but smiled, and the two left the room together, out into a castle of nervously whispering students, who glanced around corners and behind their backs as if they all suspected that something would jump out and attack them.  
...........................................  
The two sat on a black bench underneath a bare birch tree, with Marinette glaring at a potion assignment and Adrien glaring at a math assignment. The day was warm and the sun smiled down at them, the air smelling of smoke and wood. The girl risked a glance at the boy next to her. His eyes seemed weary, and he was slouching.

“Did you sleep okay last night?” She asked him slowly. He looked up sharply.

“Why? Did you?”

“I kept hearing some weird noises. Probably just the wind though. Did you hear anything?” He didn’t answer for a bit. She turned to look at him. 

And for a moment, she could’ve sworn she saw him twirl his pinkie.

Adrien smiled at her. “No, I didn’t hear anything.”

“Adrien Agreste!” Called a voice. They turned to see the girl who sat at the Head’s front desk, walking hurriedly towards them. “You’re wanted in the Last Steeple.” The boy’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but he stood.

“I’ll be back soon,” He told her, and he followed the girl out of the courtyard.

Marinette clutched her book.

He’d been lying.


	8. The First Cup Of Poison

Liar. Liar. Liar. With every step the word came into his mind, becoming a rhythm. He kept reminding himself of it, every second as he walked.

He had lied to her. Right to her face, and with a smile.

Adrien was marching along the Eastern Passage, passing students whispering in anxious tones. They huddled together in groups, looking around as if there was a murderer loose in the castle. Some of them glared at him. The boy clutched his arms and looked at the ground, trying to ignore them the best he could.

The girl in front of him began to climb a spiraling marble staircase. He followed her up the Last Steeple, and into a room with pale blue walls. A white desk was placed in the middle, and several white chairs lined the wall. Three students were perched uncomfortably on them, staring straight at him when he came into view.

One of them appeared to be as confused as he felt. This one was a plain looking boy with black hair and brown eyes, and a naturally nervous appearance about him. The other two looked like they could kill a man. A girl with short orange hair wrinkled her nose at him, and a boy with dark auburn hair sneered.

The girl ushered him into a dark room. The closed the door behind him. Deep blue curtains with golden patterns were drawn over all the windows; the ceiling clinked with strings of colored glass. A small light above him sent pale gold splotches over the walls. A long, black desk stood before him.

A woman stood as he entered. She was tall and thin, her black hair twirled into a bun on the top of her head. She wore a simple black coat and skirt, her skin appearing as pale as the moon. Her pink lips curved into a pretty smile, but it didn’t reach her dark amber eyes.

“Hello, Adrien Agreste.” She said, and the boy shivered.

“Hello, Headmistress.” He mumbled. She waved him to a blue chair.

“You must be wondering why you were brought here.” The woman turned away from him and began to set up a tray with a kettle and two teacups. Adrien said nothing. He only wished he had stayed with Marinette in the garden.

The Head handed him a cup, brimming with golden black liquid. The smell of fake sweetness hit him like a wall as the steam wafted up into his face.

“Bleeding Hearts.” He said, looking up. The woman smiled and sipped from her cup. “This is poison. You’ll die if you drink it.”

“A cup of poison does wonders for the nerves, my dear.” She took another mouthful and set her cup down. Adrien stared in amazement. She wasn’t dead, which was a miracle by itself, but she even looked a little bit brighter. Her eyes shone with a more bluish tint.

“Now.” The Head cleared her throat. “Last night a student was found in a classroom, completely unaware of how she got there, or what happened to her. She had a black mark on her face. We believe it may have been the fault of one of the creatures that have been appearing around the castle. There an about a dozen of these monsters that we know of, and more are being found by students and teachers every day.

“As you may have noticed, there are three others children outside of this room. You four have been called to form an emergency protection team.”

“Why did you choose me?” Adrien inquired, trying to process all she was saying.

“You are one of the best students in this school. You were our first choice.”

“But, what will I have to do?”

“You are like our first line of defense in a way.” The way she said it made Adrien wonder if there was another line behind them at all. The flicker in her eyes confirmed his suspicion. The boy set his teacup on the table beside him and took a deep breath.

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice, my dear.” The Head drank from her cup of poison. “I fear you may think you’ve been invited, when in reality, you’ve been drafted.” She smiled. “Send in the other students. I expect to see some progress on this problem of ours.”

Adrien stared at her, unable to speak. Anger rose into his chest, but fear also sparked in his mind. The woman’s eyes were a furious blue, and she grinned at him. 

“You are dismissed.”  
......................................  
Adrien sat at his desk in his bedroom, staring at his pile of homework, willing it to shrink or disappear altogether. The outside was dimming to a dark blue, the clear sky replaced with gloomy clouds. Plagg dozed by the fireplace. The sounds of the students walking away from the dining hall filled the corridors outside his room.

“I don’t know what to do, Plagg.” The boy said, shaking his head.

“About what, exactly?” His kwami sighed.

“About everything! First of all, these monsters. I know I can get rid of them with the cataclysm, but now I’m stuck with three other weirdos and I can’t turn into Chat Noir to actually do anything because they’ll all be around. Plus the Head expects us to do it all on our own. I haven’t seen Ladybug in forever, and I don’t know where to find her.”

“She usually just shows up when there’s danger.” Plagg reasoned.

“But she hasn’t! And now there’s Marinette, and she’s gonna be wondering what happened to me, but I…” Adrien’s voice trailed away. 

After he left the Last Steeple, he went straight to the Middle Courtyard, determined to apologize. She was gone and so was his bag, but this time it wasn’t sitting outside his door like last time Marinette brought it for him. Which meant she still had it. The boy figured he should go over to get it, but every time he got up to leave his room, he sat back down.

He couldn’t face her, not after lying to her.

“Let’s go for a walk.” Adrien said after the last pair of footsteps in the hall disappeared. Plagg groaned but floated over to his shoulder.

The West Hall was dark and deserted, and so was the Eastern Passage. The sky was almost completely black when the boy stopped outside a narrow wooden door. He eased the handle open and entered the classroom. All the cauldrons were neatly on their shelves and all the cupboards were closed, sealing away the potions and other things that made the place smell so vile.

“What are you doing?” Plagg asked. Adrien didn’t answer; instead he just placed one of the cauldrons on his desk and started to assemble all his ingredients.

“What are you doing?” His kwami pressed. The boy looked down at all he had gathered. Chocolate, mint, water, lemon zest, dried buttercup, orange essence and honeysuckle nectar. He put away the lemon and the mint, and began making his potion without them. Plagg nearly shouted with frustration as Adrien chopped the chocolate bar and let it melt with the water and the buttercup. He poured the orange and the nectar in immediately, with the heat still on.

And the air smelled like honey and cinnamon. It overpowered the rotten scent of old magic that was left in the classroom. The potion was frothy and amber colored, like cream soda. The boy pulled out a folded up tissue he kept in his coat pocket.

He opened it, and inside was a solitary black strand of hair.

The boy bit his lip.

He walked over to the wastebasket and threw it away.

“What are you doing?!” Plagg looked at him as if he’d gone mad. Adrien sighed and turned the burner off of his potion, and poured the contents into one of the bottles on the shelves. He stared at its bright orange and brown color.

Adrien looked through the cabinets until he found a tin of shortbread cookies. He selected one and poured his potion over it, on all sides. It shimmered in his hands. He wrapped it neatly in a napkin. And before he lost all of his determination, he began walking down the hall, with Plagg grumbling at his side.

He knocked on a red wooden door. The girl who lived there poked her head out. “Adrien!” Marinette gasped. She opened the door all the way, her cheeks blushing. “What are you doing here?”

“I-I came back for my bag.” Adrien replied somewhat awkwardly. Her eyes darkened ever so slightly, as if she remembered something she didn’t like.

“Right, I’m sorry for always taking it like this.” She disappeared and then handed him the duffel, almost shoving it into his hands. She began to close the door.

“Wait!” Adrien blurted. She turned back to him, surprised. He thought about the napkin with the cookie in his pocket for a moment, but then shook his head. That would be a terrible idea. It wouldn’t be right to use magic against her again. She deserved better than that.

Marinette was staring at him. “I-I…” He stuttered. “I’m sorry!” And then he turned and ran.  
..............................  
“I’m so stupid.” The boy told his kwami when they reached his room again.

“Well, you apologized.” Plagg sniggered. Adrien fell onto his bed face first. He wished his covers would just swallow him up and let him sleep for the rest of the semester. The way Marinette’s face darkened when she remember how he lied to her was just about the only thing he could think of. He was desperate for her to like him, for them to be friends. And he ruined his chances with the lying spell. 

Plagg considered him for a moment. “She really does like you, you know. She smiled at you several times.”

“She’s just nice.” Adrien sighed. “And I’m socially awkward.” Plagg just shook his head as if he knew things Adrien didn’t.

“Why did you throw away Ladybug’s hair? And why did you change the ingredients in the potion?” The boy pulled out the napkin and stared at it.

“It just felt right. At least it smells nice.” The boy let his head drop again. Plagg was silent for a few seconds.

“Just focus on others things. Like how Christmas is in four weeks! And tomorrow’s breakfast for dinner day!” The boy groaned into his pillow.

After a while, he fell asleep, with the sound of rain pattering at his window.  
............................  
The clocks in the castle struck two in the morning and someone knocked at his door. Adrien stumbled over, nearly knocking into a table. He threw his door open, and three figures stood before him.

The sky flashed with lightning. A nervous black haired boy, a snooty girl with red hair, and a boy with a gruesome grin were revealed to him.

His team had come for him.


	9. Lavender And Mint

Marinette was up, as she usually was. For the past two nights she’d been awake after twelve, practicing magic in the dark. Tikki would join her, but she would always fall asleep soon after, so Marinette was always alone.

The witch crept down halls into each of her classrooms, gathering whatever she needed and trying her best to redo her assignments, but oftentimes, her best wasn’t enough. She’d been interrupted the night before, but this time she was determined to improve on something, on anything really. Adrien was taking the effort to help her. She wanted to make him proud in a way. She wanted to hear him say, ‘Wow, Marinette! You really impressed me.’

The girl smiled to herself, and turned back to drawing of a cup in front of her. She carefully traced the sketch with her wand. She felt a tug at her hands as she pulled the glass out of the paper and into life.

The cup clunked onto the table, and Marinette eyed it cautiously. The sweet smell of mint from her spell watered her eyes. She picked up her glass and the coldness of it stung her hands, as the cup was, apparently, made of ice.

The girl sighed. She would have to try again.

Before she could raise her wand again, the horrible stench of rot wafted into the room from the open door. There was a flash of color as someone ran past. 

Marinette stood and looked out of the classroom. A girl with short orange hair was running down the hall at a pace quicker than she thought possible. The girl was soon gone, but the smell of magic she left behind lingered bitterly. Marinette could hear the sounds of footsteps and voices, echoing back to her.

She scooped up Tikki and tucking her wand behind her ear, she set off in the direction the other girl ran from.

The air was full of decay as the witch walked down the corridor, with her kwami groggily waking up in her hands. Whispers from the other end of the hall grew to a more angry tone, but Marinette took the path to the right and heard no more.

She gasped. Traps. The path to the right was littered with them. Ropes in knots, charms in boxes, twigs in silver, paintings with tongues, chandeliers with eyes, it was all there. It was as if whoever had done this was preparing for a demon to tear its way through the castle. Marinette was suddenly full of admiration for the sprinting girl from before, as it must have taken hours to set this up.

The girl carefully picked her way through the maze, avoiding the lumps in the carpet and the shadows on the walls. Tikki yawned and awoke fully, looking around with confusion. When Marinette reached the end of the hall, she found herself outside the Southern Gardens, right where she and Chat Noir had seen-

That’s who the traps were for. But how would that girl know about the creature Marinette has seen here? She had told Adrien, but she never said where. It was as if with each step she took in that castle each day, something strange happened, bringing a mystery out into the open.

Marinette stopped short. She was looking at the ground, and she saw the tattered hem of a black cloak. But the cape was moving and twisting as if it were a living thing. She looked up and into a pair of glowing blue eyes. The air smelled overpoweringly of rotten flesh.

The monster lunged towards her, and Marinette closed her eyes and threw her arms up in defense, her surprise and fear erupting into a strangled shout. There was a flash of white and the aroma of cinnamon replaced the must of magic. 

When Marinette looked up, the monster was gone, but a boy with blond hair stood in front of her, wand poised in the air. He turned and she faced the familiar features of Adrien Agreste.

“What are you doing here?” He asked her. Marinette opened her mouth but couldn’t find any words. His beautiful green eyes sparkled in the distorted moonlight coming from the windows. “It’s dangerous, Marinette. You can’t be here.” He took her hand and led her down the hall.

“But what are you doing? Why are you up?” She managed to say. He sighed and his fingers gripped hers ever so tighter.

“It’s a long story.” Cinnamon still clung heavily to the air around them. From under her hood, Tikki rubbed her nose uncomfortably.

“Weird how it smells so different from normal magic.” Marinette ventured after a long silence. “My magic always smells like lavender or mint. But everyone else’s doesn’t.” Adrien smiled.

“Count your blessings. I always end up smelling like rot.”

“But today, a spell I did was just like normal magic. And just now, your spell smells different. Why is that?” Marinette wondered aloud. Adrien didn’t answer and she didn’t expect him to, but it was as if he holding her hand sent her thoughts in a whole other direction. “Does it matter what magic you do? Like, the magic is fine if it smells like normal, but if it’s different, it’s bad? Does that mean all the spells I do are bad?”

“Why would wicked magic smell nice? I love the smell of lavender. It’s hard to imagine it would be evil.” Adrien pulled her a little bit closer, and Marinette felt her cheeks grow uncomfortably warm. But she had to focus.

“Do you think all the magic everyone else does is bad then?” The girl suggested. Adrien seemed to start to pay close attention to what she was saying, and his eyes sparkled, as if he remembered something.

“Do you have our charm textbook in your bag?” He asked her.

“Well, sure, but-”

“Can I see it?” Marinette sat down on a nearby bench and looked through the jumbled mess of things in her duffel. Her hands closed around a smooth leather book. ‘Charm Making: Volume Two Hundred Thirty-Three.’ The girl handed it to her companion and he opened it to the end.

“Look here.” Scrawled amongst the faded ink was a short sentence, smudged and slightly painted over. It read, ‘All charms should never smell like rot. If it begins to smell like decay, try again.’

“No way!” Marinette cried as she took ‘Defying Physics: Somewhat Advanced’ from her bag and flipped to the notes in the back. ‘All objects or organisms used should not smell like decay, as this means the spell has been done wrong.’ “Why has no one pointed this out before?” The girl exclaimed.

Adrien tugged a thick book labeled ‘Poisons: Not For Weak Hearted’ from her duffel and opened it to the last chapter.

“’The scent of poison is extremely important,” He read aloud. “As this is the only way the maker of the toxin can tell if it is done correctly, since one cannot taste it and risk experiencing the effects. It should almost always smell like your personal magic, with the exceptions of the Glow and the Inability Fog. If the poison smells like death, decay or rotting flesh, it is important to dispose of the poison immediately. This rule goes for all forms magic, as the smell of rot means that the magic has gone awry. If a person ignores the signs of spoiled magic, their spells will begin to consume them.”

The two looked at each other, confusion written all over their features. “Consume them? What does that mean? What does it mean by your personal magic smell? Why hasn’t anyone noticed this?” Marinette sputtered.

Adrien shrugged, his face flushing in excitement. “Magic has changed over the past few decades. People aren’t as careful as they used to be with it.” 

“Is it harmful now?” The girl asked.

“I don’t really know. Magic used to only be used in the worst possible cases, and the people who misused magic just ended up with arthritis. But that was before magic schools came around, and I’ve heard some old stories of people who used too much spoiled magic.”

“What do they say?” Marinette asked with increasing worry.

“Well…” He started. “No one ever hears from those people again. They say stuff about their souls being burned down into a light that fuels their transformed bodies, but that’s all rumors.” The girl rubbed her forehead and stood. She began pacing.

“Do you think it’s a problem?” She asked.

There was a thud as a precariously balanced stack of papers fell from within the office of a teacher across from them. The pages scattered, some spreading out towards the door. The girl picked one up, scanning the contents, and realizing it was an attendance sheet.

“That’s weird.” She said to her companion. “Nathanaël and Juleka haven’t been in this class for a few days.”

“We haven’t seen them since the first monster appeared.” Marinette collected more of the sheets of paper, all of them recording the appearance of students from different classes. 

“Alix hasn’t been around either. And neither has this person, or this person.” The girl pointed out all the names that had no check mark beside them, Adrien leaning over her shoulder to see. It was as if every class had at least two students missing. “This girl’s been gone for three days, and this guy has been gone for two. All these kids stopped showing up three days ago or sooner.”

“Do you think it means something?” He asked. Marinette bit her lip.

“The first monster appeared four days ago, right? And more ever since.” If each step she took in that castle each brought up another mystery, those mysteries were turning into puzzle pieces. And a few of them were starting to fit together. 

Marinette looked at Adrien, a slight sense of dread beginning to build in her stomach. “I think we need to look into what happens when a spell consumes the user.”

The angry voices from before appeared again, the sounds of three students bickering became closer and closer.

Adrien took her hand and pulled her out of the office. He continued marching down the hall, taking her with him. “You have to remember there are monsters out, Marinette.” He told her. Her eyebrows creased with worry. She’d never seen him so tense.

They turned right and stopped in front of her bedroom door. “You need to stay inside.” He said, almost pleadingly. The girl was having trouble thinking about the fact that Adrien knew exactly where her room was. And most importantly, that Adrien was still holding her hand.

But there was something strange about the way he looked. His eyes were much brighter than normal, with skin almost gray in the light. She thought she could almost see his bones, like his skin was translucent.

“Are you okay?” She asked him, and he smiled at her. 

“I’ll feel a lot better knowing you’re safe.” He ushered her into her room. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Marinette. We can talk more about this later.” And he closed her door just as the voices reached him.


	10. The Second Cup Of Poison

Adrien’s eyes snapped open after what seemed like only a minute of them being closed. There were a series of sharp thumps at his door, as if someone was hitting the door with their entire body. He slid off his bed; feeling like he had just come back from the dead. The veins in his temples were throbbing, and his fingers and feet were numb.

The boy stumbled across the room and yanked the door open to a sea of students, crowed in the hall. None of them were walking around to get to classes; none of them were even talking normally. They whispered to each other, their eyes flickering to the shadows in the corners and darting over faces with suspicion. And all the nearest students were staring at him.

A girl with wavy hair leaned over to him and muttered fiercely, “It’s all the Emergency Defense Team’s fault.” Adrien blinked.

“What are you talking about?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “You really don’t know? It’s all anyone’s talking about. Someone heard the teachers talking about how they pulled together some sort of squad to keep out the monsters. But three kids disappeared last night because they weren’t doing their job.”

“Wait, three?” He exclaimed, and several other students shushed him.

“Look!” One of them whispered. Down on the other side of the passageway, the crowd of children was parting. Silence settled eerily over the corridor as a teacher, a short woman with bluish hair, walked calmly through them all. For a moment, Adrien thought she had turned towards him and fixed him with a glare, but when he blinked she was already at the end of the hall. She disappeared, the students began to talk louder, and it sounded almost normal except for the fact that no one was going to any classes that day.

Over the loud incomprehensible conversations, the boy heard a familiar, “Adrien!” called and Marinette, with her too large school shirt rolled up at the sleeves and a small pile of papers clutched in her hands, appeared, her cheeks red as though she had been running.

Running to him. Adrien felt himself smile. “Hey,” He said faintly as she began shuffling through her bag.

“I was looking around, and I was talking to Mrs. Butterfield-” She paused, somewhat out of breath.

“Who’s Mrs. Butterfield?” She blinked.

“The woman who teaches Spell Control.” Adrien’s eyebrows drew together. He had forgotten about that class. But he nodded for her to continue.

“Well, I asked her about what we found out last night, with the whole personal magic scent and everything, and she had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. I could tell she wasn’t lying.” Marinette’s eyes flickered over to his hand for a moment. She shook her head. “And then I asked our poison professor, and he didn’t know about it either. So why would the teachers themselves not know about this? I mean, it is their job and all.”

Adrien glanced around them. The students closest were gazing at them, listening. “Maybe we should talk somewhere else,” He suggested. He took Marinette’s warm hand in his and led her down the hall.

The Middle Courtyard was abandoned when they arrived. The weather was sunny but cold enough to remind them that winter was still advancing. They sat down underneath the bare birch tree, which seemed strangely larger and darker than it was before.

Marinette cleared her throat. “Well, none of the professors know about any of this, and I even asked them about all the missing kids and they just shrugged and said that they were probably slacking off. It seems like none of the normal teachers care, but I saw Miss Steel talking with the Head at the base of the Last Steeple. From what I heard them say, I think only a few other higher grade teachers know about it. It sounds like they’re trying to hide it.”

Adrien nodded. “That makes sense.” Especially after meeting the Head, he had no doubt that she was trying to cover up the missing kids from to as many people as she could, though it seemed like the word spread to the students anyway. 

There was a moment of silence between the two, and Marinette blushed.

“I-I don’t know if anything of this means anything, I just-we said that we would try to figure out things together-I’m not really sure if any of this even matters at all…” She stuttered and then looked down at her hands. Adrien smiled. He loved the fact that she remembered their agreement, even though it felt like ages ago.

“I also heard them talk about some sort of Emergency Defense Team.” She ventured after another pause. “But it was terrible what they were saying. The Head was explaining that she didn’t organize them to protect the school, but then-”

“Hey!” A girl with short red hair shouted at them from the entrance. Two boys stood behind her, in the shadows. “We’re wanted in the Last Steeple.” Adrien felt his heart drop to his feet. Marinette looked confusedly back and forth between the two.

“Wait, are you-”

“I’ll be back soon, I promise.” The boy reluctantly rose to his feet. “Don’t leave, I’ll try to make this quick.” Marinette opened her mouth but closed it again. He offered her a smile, but he knew it wouldn’t convince her. 

He walked over to his team and followed them through the door.  
................................  
“Look in the mirror.” The Head told him the moment he entered. Adrien turned and saw an old, grimy mirror mounted crookedly on the wall. “What do you see?”

The boy raised an eyebrow. “I see myself.”

“Are you sure?”

He looked back into the mirror. A pair of bright green eyes glittered at him. He looked just the same as he usually did. Neat blond hair, slightly crinkled school shirt, thin nose and lips on a pale face…

Since when had he been so pale? He looked down at his hands, and then back at the mirror. He looked like a ghost against the dark room. It was no surprise that Marinette had asked if he was alright before. He must have looked completely ill.

“You look like you need a cup of Bleeding Hearts.” The Head turned around and handed him a china cup and saucer, filled with steaming black liquid. Her amber eyes glinted. “I saw you didn’t drink yours last time. You really have nothing to worry about, it’s quite safe.” Adrien regarded the tea warily, but the woman was still staring at him.

He took a tentative sip, and a strange, cold sweetness burned down his throat. He coughed and she poured herself a cup, downing it in one gulp. “Now,” She said, her voice lower than before. “How are things going?” His head felt strangely light, but he managed to say,

“We set up traps last night where there had been a monster. We checked later, and it had come through, but nothing worked on it. We did the whole-” The woman waved her hand dismissively. “It’s a hard job, you know. There are four of us and two dozen monsters.”

She studied him. It was as if she didn’t care that they hadn’t caught anything. It was as if catching the creatures with his team wasn’t what she assembled them for.

The Head took his chin in her hand and narrowed her eyes. She turned his head left to right, as if looking for something. Then she let him go, her blue eyes sparkling. She walked to the wall and straightened the mirror.

“You’re the leader of this team. I expect you to get things done. You are dismissed.”  
...............................  
Adrien hurried down the halls. The sun was blocked out by black, swarming clouds. The castle was dark and gloomy, but students walked around and talked about just the same. The boy slowed his pace as he realized Marinette had surely gone inside, and was probably joining her friends in the Dining Hall.

She wouldn’t have waited for him.

“Adrien Agreste?” A prim and impatient voice called to him from behind. The boy turned to face a woman with plaited black hair, scowling down at him.

“Yes, ma’am?” He said tentatively. The woman sniffed.

“You have not turned in your Creative Summoning homework for these past two days. If you do not hand in your homework again, I will to speak with the Head and have you pulled off the Pride’s list.” The lady sniffed. “And you will not be qualified to continue your place as a tutor.”

“Wait,” Adrien blurted. “No, I’ll do it.” She raised an eyebrow.

“We’ll see.” She turned swiftly, the end of her braid flicking his nose, and she marched away. She was joined by the short woman with blue hair, but they were too far away for Adrien to hear them speak.

“That was weird.” Plagg said from under his collar. “There’s a bunch of students that haven’t been showing up, but she chooses to bother you?” The woman with blue hair turned around a looked at him, a hard glare behind her oddly yellow eyes.

“Something weird is going on.”

Plagg snorted. “Tell me about-”

CRASH! The floor underneath Adrien’s feet seemed to jump at the earsplitting sound that reverberated down the hall. Shrieks soon followed it, but there was one voice that he immediately recognized.

Marinette.

Adrien tore down the corridor towards the screams. In a blink of the eye he stood in the foyer, amongst scattering students and broken glass and the horrible stench of death. Alarms were screeching, things were collapsing on top of one another, and in the middle of the chaos was a thin, tall frame, covered in darkness. Skeletal, claw-like hands ripped a pillar from its rightful place and flung it across the room. Dust and pieces of the ceiling were falling, and Adrien was being shoved by dazed and confused people.

But he couldn’t find her. He knew she was here but he couldn’t see her. 

The students around him suddenly disappeared.

“Watch out!” Cried a voice. Something hit his side and he was pushed. He fell to the ground right as another section of a pillar hit the wall, where he had been before. Two hands were griping his shoulders. He turned and saw her, eyes wide with fear but jaw set with resolve.

“Marinette!” Adrien exclaimed.


	11. Claws

Her hands were shaking. She was trembling all over but she didn’t feel particularly scared. She griped the boy’s collar and hauled him to his feet, trying her best to steady her fingers. Behind them that thing, that monster, was lumbering around, trying to find something else to throw, but everything was already rubble or dust. It fumbled down the hall, hitting the wall at the turn.

Marinette looked into Adrien’s bright, shining green eyes. His face was so pale, almost gray. And he seemed taller too. He was changing so suddenly in those past few days. The girl turned him around and pushed him off in the other direction, wishing he could stay with her but knowing what a terrible idea that was. 

“Go,” She told him, relieved her voice was sturdier than her hands. “I’ll handle this for now.” His eyes were full of concern. Concern for her, and she smiled at that.

“Wait -” He was cut off by shouts from the other end of the hall. He turned and Marinette began running after the monster. By the time he looked back she was almost at the turn.

He looked so gaunt and white from a distance, like a ghost of a boy. The sun struggled with the heavy clouds and managed to break away, casting golden afternoon light down on the pair.

“He’ll be alright, Marinette.” Tikki emerged from under the girl’s collar. They looked at him for a final moment.

“You’re right.” The witch turned away and set off down the other corridor. Besides, Adrien has his own team he needed to look after, apparently. The Emergency Defense Team. Marinette felt somewhat proud of him, but her smile melted down her face into a frown.

The Head had been talking to Miss Steel only a few hours ago. The way that woman was talking, the way her eyes glinted made the girl fearful. The Head was talking about his team like they were creatures and not humans. Like they had no feelings and were simply guinea pigs for an experiment. 

“Look!” Tikki whispered. Ahead of them, the creature was shambling around, clutching the sides of its head with its long, talon-like hands. The bright blue light that glowed from inside its skull pulsed like a heartbeat.

Marinette remembered the night of the first monster. The golden fire had called to her for help, it had shown her its memories, but there was nothing she could do. She didn’t know what it was or how to fix it or anything.

The girl ducked behind one of the columns that lined the hall. “Tikki! Transform me!” She whispered. Marinette felt the familiar warmth crawl over her skin. Her scrambling thoughts began to align themselves and though she still didn’t know what to do, she felt confident. There was security behind the mask.

Ladybug opened her hand and her black broom appeared in a flash. She sailed smoothly down the darkening corridor. She reached an intersection, and followed the trail of faint black dust and glitter.

The stench of death began to cloud the air. Ladybug found herself on the Edge, the very end of the castle. The orange light of the setting sun scattered in a million different angles through the prism-like windows.

The creature was hunched over, tiredly dragging its claws along the carpet. The ripping sound grated at her ears. The monster, looking dead on its feet, toppled over, its head halfway in a classroom, its legs still upright. Ladybug hopped off her broom and approached it cautiously. It seemed smaller and less skeletal than before, the light illuminating it from the inside was a little dimmer.

“Ladybug!” Cried a voice. The witch swung around, broom clutched in her hands.

But it was Adrien, his cheeks redder than her cloak. His eyes shone unnaturally bright, his brow creased with worry. He rested his hands on his knees, chest heaving for air. His pale, thin arms were shaking. He wore only his school shirt and trousers; he seemed to have lost his boots.

“A-are you okay?” She asked him, astonished. He stared at her for a moment, seeming unable to form any words. His eyes were so wide, his mouth slightly agape.

But then he set his jaw and straightened.

“There are at least two more monsters that are running around. For the moment, they seem to be just like that one. But we don’t know for how long. Some teachers are trying to get all the students back into their rooms but a lot of them won’t cooperate because they’re demanding to know what’s happening.” He reported.

Ladybug blinked and then nodded. “Thank you, Adrien. You’ve been very helpful, but I need you to find someplace safe until we can get rid of these monsters.” Ladybug turned around again and pulled out her wand. 

Adrien took a deep breath. “Ladybug, I-I can’t do that.”

“What do you mean?” The girl asked him. He hesitated.

“I can’t find a friend of mine. I’ve looked all over but she’s disappeared. And I want to help you.” Ladybug started to shake her head, but he reached out and grasped her hand. “Please, Ladybug.”

His glittery eyes pleaded with her. Hey breath caught in her throat and her heart jumped. 

She squeezed his hand. “Alright.”

The sun was almost gone when they looked down at the monster. “What do you think is making them like this?” The boy asked her.

Ladybug opened her mouth but creature below them rose to its feet before she could formulate a sentence. It grew and brightened as the sun shrank and disappeared. It rounded on them and its blue light burned.

In one fluid motion, Ladybug kicked her broom to life and flew away, taking Adrien with her down the Edge before he could even realize they were gone. The monster chased them but Ladybug soared like they were running from all of hell.

“There!” Adrien pointed as he gripped her waist. One of the thick windows had been opened to the dusky world outside. Ladybug leaned and changed her angle, and jumped off the opposite wall as the claws of the monster closed around the place where they had just been. And as the creature turned, they were out of the Edge and into the cloudy sky.

Now that the sun was gone, the heavens were an inky blue swarm of moving and shifting things. The castle and the surrounding forest spread below them in a maze of shadowy shapes. Flickers of lights and flashes of color sparked randomly from within the school, distant shouts and crashes reaching their ears. The wind carried the smell of the Blood Marshes over the whole scene.

“What do we do?” Adrien asked her, his thin arms still wrapped around her waist tightly. He seemed somewhat broomsick, and Ladybug realized that he must have never been on a broom before. Boys always had to use charms to fly, while girls stuck to the older way.

Ladybug took a deep breath. “There are three monsters that are wrecking the castle and we don’t know how to get rid of them.” She thought for a moment. “For now, we’ll just try and lure them out of the school and into the forest.”

They slowly descended, dropping through an open panel on the Glass Walk. The second their feet touched the ground and her broom disappeared, a pair of teachers came barreling down the short corridor. 

Right behind them, a skeletal creature burst through the opening. It was smaller than the rest, around fifteen feet tall, with bright purple eyes and the smell of death hanging around it like a blanket.

“Ladybug!” The two women cried. They stopped right behind the girl. “Nothing we do will stop it!”

“It’s been following us for forever!”

Ladybug and Adrien looked at each other. “I’ll do what I can, but I’m not sure exactly how-” The boy’s bright eyes widened for a moment. He touched her shoulder and straightened.

“I think I know how to fix whatever these things are.” He said softly. The creature with the purple eyes slowly marched towards them, as if sensing their fear and knowing there was no way they would escape it.

“What do you mean?” The witch whispered. Adrien pointed at the yoyo strapped to her belt.

“Lucky Charm.” Ladybug looked at him, stunned. “I know that you don’t like using it because it’s too dangerous but it’s our only chance.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he squeezed her shoulders. “Trust me.”

For a moment, she was silent. But then she nodded.

Ladybug put her wand away and unclicked the yoyo from her belt. It hummed with energy as she began to twirl it.

With one movement she sent it spinning into the air.

“LUCKY CHARM!” She shouted. Flashes of pink and red and white were almost blinding and the scent of lavender and mint overpowered that of death. The lights faded and a bottle fell into Ladybug’s hands.

Her eyes darted all over the hall. The monster, her yoyo, the other two creatures that were rambling around the castle, the bottle of course, and…

“What’s in your pocket?” She asked the boy. His hands flew to cover the pocket on his chest, and his pale face grew paler.

“Um, I-”

Ladybug held out her hand. “Please, Adrien.” He bit his lip. He looked into her eyes, and pulled out a napkin. He placed it in her hand, and it unfolded. A plain, shortbread cookie sat in her palm.

“Three creatures, the yoyo, a cookie, and the bottle.” She said to herself. None of it made sense to her.

She uncapped the bottle and put her nose to the top. She breathed in the smell of the little shortbread too, and then she realized.

Ladybug turned to Adrien. “I need you to lead this creature to the Middle Courtyard. Can you do it?” The boy nodded.

“Of course, my lady.” He pulled out his wand, which had cracks running over the surface. With a simple twirl of his wrist, he struck the monster with a wobbly flash of orange colored light, and Ladybug sprinted down the Glass Walk and into the West Hall. He heart was thumping terribly against her chest.

The silhouette of a monster surrounded by the small figures of teachers and students loomed out of the growing darkness of the hall. Ladybug crushed the cookie and poured the crumbs into the bottle. The air began to smell of mint and the bottle began to glow a faint pink as she tucked it into her pocket.

She spun her yoyo.

“My lady.” She whispered to herself as she threw her weapon. It wound over and under and any which way around the creature. The cord tightened and it collapsed, unable to move. Ladybug dragged it down the hall.

“Why did he say my lady?” She murmured.  
..............................  
Three minutes passed and three creatures were tied together with her yoyo in the courtyard. Adrien stood by her side as she uncorked the glowing potion.

“What is that?” He asked her, clearly exhausted.

“It’s-well-I just-it’s kind of-” She mumbled. “It’s just a healing potion.” She poured the glittery substance over her hand. With a flick of her fingers, the pretty pink particles flew through the air and landed on the creatures.

They sighed with relief, and in a flash they were all gone. Fragments of light, like lightning bugs, floated around them. Ladybug held her hand out to a falling light.

“Wow,” She breathed. The castle, for the first time that night, was beautifully quiet and serene.

“I can’t believe that worked so well.” Adrien said. Ladybug looked over and saw him holding his wand over a cut on his thin, pale, bare arm. His eyes were shining unnervingly bright. And his fingers were oddly long.

Ladybug remembered walking past the Last Steeple. She had strained her ears to listen to Miss Steel and the Head.

“My intention was never to use them to get rid of the monsters.” The taller woman stated. “I believe that these creatures aren’t coming from the forest like you say. I’m using this team to prove a theory of mine.”

“What’s your theory?” Miss Steel inquired.

“The children, Steel.” The Head said firmly.

At the time, Marinette thought the woman was simply refusing to tell the teacher because other students were around. Because, more specifically, Marinette was there, listening to them. She thought it was the Head’s way of saying, ‘Not when people are about.’

Adrien tapped his wrist with the wand to try and start up magic.

But Ladybug connected the dots. That woman wasn’t saying, ‘I’ll tell you later when we’re alone.’ She was saying that her theory was the children themselves.

“Stop!” Ladybug cried. She reached for Adrien’s wand but she was too late.

The boy shouted in surprise. He dropped his wand as his hand started to change. His eyes were wide and burning green. 

Claws.

Adrien’s hands were claws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the part where Ladybug and Adrien fly out of the castle, I originally wrote, 'And as the creature turned, they were out of the Edge and into the sky, where all stars like them belonged.' And it was just too terrible to keep and I'm still laughing about it


	12. Without A Mask

It was eleven o’clock when Marinette’s eyes fluttered open. She was scooted up into a corner of a classroom, Tikki in her left hand and her wand in her right. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and for some reason she didn’t have her boots on. She vaguely remembered running through the castle, trying to find somewhere to just hide.

She began to uncurl from her position, spreading out onto the cold stone floor. Rain and sleet were pattering against the window, the abrupt sound jarring her foggy thoughts. Distant sounds of chaos were drowned out by the weather, and if the girl believed it hard enough, she could imagine that it was a calm, normal night.

But Marinette couldn’t believe her lie hard enough, and she began to think. She thought about how in a single minute, Adrien was gone. And in his place was a monster.

Ladybug could’ve helped him. Ladybug could’ve used some spell or charm and saved him.

But her time was out, and Marinette was the only thing left. Cold, scared, and useless. She couldn’t even move. She was just like stone as she watched the thin, frail boy in front of her rot down to his core. His flesh had burned away, all the light in his glowing green eyes withdrawing into his skull. His skeleton had augmented and became a distorted mess. His bones were long and sharp, like daggers. 

He reached for her, but she ran from him.

Marinette propped herself up by her elbows. She lost her coat too somehow, and she began to shiver. Tikki opened her eyes and yawned.

“I’m starving.” She mumbled groggily. 

The girl stretched her arms and creakily rose to her feet, and walked to the door of the room. With each step that brought her closer, it also brought the shouts and thumps of the castle closer as well. There were cries of warning, fear, and anger. And there were crashes of magic, stone and wood.

Marinette stopped before she could enter the hall. “Maybe we should stay here.” She suggested. Tikki looked at her.

“What?” She said incredulously.

“You know, just, wait it out for a bit.” Marinette detested the tremble in her voice, but she couldn’t hide it. The faerie at her shoulder was silent for a moment.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Marinette.” Tikki said comfortingly. “You’re an amazing magician! You can do anything you set your mind to.” The girl smiled.

“Alright.” And they stepped out into the open.

The trip to the kitchens was uneventful, but Marinette wouldn’t stop shaking. It was as if terror had seeped into her bones and though she didn’t feel it, it was there. She saw faces and people where there were none, and sounds and whispers where it was quiet.

Tikki was always by her side, patting her arm and chattering words of encouragement, but Marinette couldn’t seem to shake away the vision of Adrien, her love, decaying before her eyes.

The witch pushed open the heavy kitchen doors into a long, warm room. Cabinets and ovens and sinks ran along the walls, and in the middle were a few chairs and lamps.

But the comfortable place had been destroyed. Claw marks and scratches and tore up all the cupboards and chairs. Glass and tools and containers were strewn over the floor, the faint smell of magic hanging in the air.

And there wasn’t one cookie left over. Marinette searched frantically, but everything had been destroyed. Tikki was getting sleepier with every passing minute, but the girl could find nothing.

The girl and her kwami sat in one of the ruined chairs. “What are we gonna do?” She moaned. “There’s nothing for you to eat and I can’t do anything like this!”

Tikki yawned. “It’s alright, Marinette. You can still help Adrien.”

“No I can’t!” The witch nearly shouted. “I can’t do anything without Ladybug.” She covered her face with her hands. “I couldn’t save him before. What could I do when I’m like this?” 

“Don’t worry about things you can’t change.” The kwami said gently. “Focus on how you can help.”

“But I’m just Marinette.” The girl sighed. “I’m just a normal girl.”

“But you’re also Ladybug, even without a mask.” Tikki’s bright blue eyes blinked slowly and she fell asleep.

The girl was still for a minute. The ruined kitchens were so quiet it was as if the place was stuck in time. But the knots and ropes that were binding her chest, restricting her breath began to ease and untangle. Her fright was still there of course, but now it was just hanging on her.

She pulled out her wand and tucked Tikki under her collar. The witch stood and marched her way out of the safety of the room and into the open.

Perhaps she didn’t have the mask, or the magic. All she had was a little bit of courage. But then again, a little bit of courage tends to go a long way.  
............................  
It was almost one o’clock when Marinette was adding the last drop of silver to the flowers that lined the hall. The Eastern Passage had always been used as a makeshift garden, and the girl reasoned that after the events of the past few days, no one would really think twice about a couple of missing plants.

She set aside the jug of liquid silver and gazed at the hall. The flowers she had enchanted glinted faintly in the dim light of her lantern.

The monster she was after ran on a schedule. It would walk down the West Hall and then into the Eastern Passage, and circle back through the Underground Corridor. Every thirty minutes it did this, precise as a clock.

Marinette heard it before she saw it. Its footsteps were the ticking, and soon it would strike the hour. The girl scrambled for a hiding place; she grappled her way up the thick and heavy curtains and rested on the pole that held them in place.

The green glow of her monster made the shadows of the corridor grow and twist. The tall and strange creature sauntered into sight.

The silver plants began to shiver. Five steps in; they were shuddering in their vases. Ten steps in; they went still. Then the flowers latched out and hooked onto the monster. They grabbed and pulled and tugged until it couldn’t move anymore. It was tied into place by silver vines.

The girl tentatively slid down the curtains. Her monster glared at her with its emerald eyes.

“Hello?” She said hesitantly. The creature simply struggled against its bonds. The girl was silent. They listened to the distance shouts and growing chaos of the castle for a long moment. Marinette seemed to never be able to think of anything to talk about around Adrien, whether he was himself or something else entirely.

Her plan had gotten her this far; now she was stuck. She trapped her monster easily enough. But she still couldn’t save him.

Marinette sat down on the worn carpet. She drew her arms around her knees and looked up at the creature. The bone structure was distorted but it was familiar. The air was a mix of rot, mint and honey. The green light pulsed from inside its skull, flickering like a fire. The girl remembered being sucked into the first monster’s flame, and all the things she saw. They made sense only now, but-

The girl shot to her feet. She ducked under and over vines until she reached her immobilized creature, and using the long and pointed bones, crawled all the way up to the head. The eye socket was just the right size for her to slip through.

The green fire swayed angrily, whipping back and forth in an invisible wind.

“What are you doing?” The light hissed.

Marinette walked slowly toward it, carefully sliding down the skull.

“STOP!” The fire said desperately as she drew nearer. “Get away from me!”

“Adrien?” She was arm’s length away from her monster’s glowing core. She raised her hand.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” It screamed. The fire recoiled from her, as if trying to escape.

But Marinette didn’t move. She walked a little bit closer. The creature’s voice was Adrien’s, and even though it wasn’t really her friend, her love, she wasn’t scared.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered.

“Just leave me alone!” The fire wailed. The girl was still.

“I can help you.”

“You? You can’t help me. No one can. Go away.” Marinette took a deep breath. The air was warm and smelled like rot and cinnamon and lavender all muddled together. The brightness of the light burned her eyes.

But she set her jaw and stood up straight.

“I may just be one girl, but mask or not, I’m still going to try and save you.” 

She lunged forward and the fire screamed. She fell headfirst into the light, and Marinette saw many things.  
.......................  
Picnics in parks in the summer and bright squares of light on windows on buildings and stars in the winter and city sounds on a rainy day and birds tweeting in the morning and leaves flying in the fall and cloudy skies in the spring whisked by. Butterflies on golden afternoons and neon lights in the night and sparklers at dusk and sandcastles disintegrating and chimes ringing on a porch and lace curtains floating in the wind flew by her.

Pattering rain on dark mornings and black clothes on black nights and empty halls to come home to and echoing voices vibrated in her head. Slouching shoulders and sleepless nights and thunderstorms on lonely days and emotionless weeks whizzed around her.

Then bright sunny days and strange little boxes and cold metal rings. Rainy mornings that weren’t gloomy and standing in the open to feel the cool water. The sound of laughter and unfamiliar voices and cheerful greetings and new places and new people.

Bright red and bright green and the sound of wind in her ears and giggles and jokes on rooftops and rushes of adrenaline and staying up to watch the sun rise filled her chest. Glowing lights and sincere smiles and the smell of honey and cinnamon and lavender and mint were all she knew.  
........................  
Marinette’s eyes fluttered open. She was lying on the worn carpet of the Eastern Hall. The flowers in their vases along the corridor were all dead. Her lantern was smashed beside her.

“MARINETTE!” Cried a familiar voice. Before she could turn, the girl was tackled. The cold frames of a pair of glasses pressed against her cheek. “Where in the world have you been?! I’ve been looking all over for you!” 

“Alya!” Marinette exclaimed. Her best friend was hugging her so tightly she couldn’t move but that was fine with her.

“I thought you might have turned into one of those monsters! Gosh, where were you all this time?” Alya released her and held her out at arm’s length to look at her.

“I was trying to save Adrien.” She answered faintly.

“What happened to him?” 

Marinette looked around at the hall. It was empty and seemed completely normal, save for the dead plants and the lingering smell of cinnamon.

“I don’t really know.”


	13. One By One

Chat Noir’s boots thudded against the decrepit carpet. He tore through the hallway, his eyes scanning every inch he passed. His hood whipped behind him, his ears twitched with every sound, his hand clenched tightly around his battered wand.

“Where is she?” He muttered under his breath, growing more concerned and frustrated every time he ducked his head into any door that could open. He hurried down the first few steps of the Underground Corridor and listened.

“I think the magic we always use used to be a bad thing, but it doesn’t seem to do anything anymore.” Said a voice.

“I don’t understand.” Was the blunt response.

Chat’s eyes widened. He smiled.

“Mari!” He shouted as he jumped down the last steps. The distant light of a lantern grew brighter as the two girls turned around. The smaller of the pair, the girl with the light, the one with the sparkling blue eyes, took a step forward.

“Chat Noir?” She said incredulously. He ran towards her and captured her in his arms. He held her tight, carefully keeping his claws away from her skin. 

“Thank goodness you’re okay! I was so worried.” He laughed with relief.

“Well then,” A bemused Alya said.

“Er,” Marinette started, still allowing Chat to hang onto her. “Um, what happened? Why were you worried?”

“It was so terrible. I was so miserable. But I can’t remember a thing other than you, Mari.” Chat felt himself relax. He held the girl out at arm’s length and looked at her. She was alright, and he couldn’t stop smiling.

“Thank you.” He told her.

“I’m confused.” She said, her eyes darting from Alya and him. The boy remembered himself and released her. He cleared his throat.

“I need your help. There’s still about a four monsters about, and who knows how many hiding.”

“Wait, but,” Marinette turned to her friend. “What am I supposed to do?” She asked him. “I’m just-”

“You just saved m… Adrien, remember? I think you can do it again. Come on!” Chat Noir took her hand and ran back down the hall, dragging her with him.

“Good luck!” Alya laughed from behind them, her voice fading rapidly.

“I’ll try to help but where are we gonna start?” Marinette wheezed. Chat Noir grinned.

“We’ll start where it began.”  
............................  
The two sat in a tree, resting on the gnarled black limbs of the dying maple. The distance thuds of loud and slow footsteps grew ever closer.

“I’ll use my magic as a last resort,” Chat Noir shouted over the rising noise to the girl across from him. “First, we’ll try what you did before.”

“But I don’t really know what I did before.” Marinette protested.

“Here it comes!” A golden glow loomed out of the gloom of the night. The mass of gray bones and purplish light moved quickly through the forest. It started to pass them when Chat Noir grabbed Marinette and kicked off into the air. She squawked and flung her arms around his neck as he shot them up into the sky.

He hovered around the creature’s head and lightly set the girl on her feet on the ledge of the right eye socket. He held her hand steady as she slid down the side of the skull. She walked tentatively toward the light.

Chat pushed away and regarded the monster. It hadn’t noticed them quite yet. He watched its face with its three odd eyes. He began to wonder why it had three. He hadn’t seen another creature with extra features like this one. And he hadn’t seen a creature that was a tall as this one.

His green eyes flickered back to little witch inside the skull. She seemed to be listening for something.

The monster scratched the side of its head. It turned side to side, looking.

“Marinette.” Chat Noir called. “You might want to hurry up.”

The girl didn’t answer him.

The monster turned and looked at the boy, all of its eyes burning a little brighter.

“Marinette!” He shouted. The witch turned her head.

“It won’t let me help it anymore! I can’t do anything!” She then scrambled back up the skull. Her eyes were wide and confused, her eyebrows drawn together in worry. 

Anymore? He wondered. The girl’s hands grasped the ledge of the eye socket just as the creature began to move.

It lunged after Chat Noir, its sharp claws ready to slice him open. He dodged only just in time. The thing was chasing him now, trying to smack him out of the air. Its sharp talons lashed out from everywhere it seemed.

The boy grew dizzy. The ground swirled below him as he tried to move. The gloom of the foggy night only allowed him to see the world in a green haze. The monster’s hands flashed in the grim light when they were only inches away, and the wind whistled around his ears. He wasn’t even quite sure if he was right side up anymore.

“Chat Noir!” The girl’s voice called him back to his senses. He looked and she was hauling herself up onto the edge of the right eye.

The boy flew towards her. They grasped each other’s hands and he lifted her off of the monster just as sharp, dark bones of a hand began to close around them. With one kick, Chat propelled off the palm of the creature’s hand and flew towards its head.

“CATACLYSM!” He felt all his energy pour into his arm. His brought his hand down crashing onto the monster’s forehead. He turned and planted his feet on the skull and then they were flying away from the shrieking thing.

Chat Noir clutched Marinette close to him. They were far above the forest. In a flash of bright light, the monster was gone, leaving black burn marks all over the woods. Marinette was shaking in his arms, her bare arms and fingers cold as ice in the air above the trees. His ring ticked on his hand.

He sent them down on the ground at the base of the hill the school was perched upon. The pair stood in an odd silence, the boy still holding the girl. They stared at the cold and dark windows of the stone structure above them until his ring sent them out of their reverie.

“You did it.” Marinette awkward brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

“You helped.” There was a flash of scattering magic that sparked against the windows, followed by a shout. They could hear the noise of chaos, now closer than it had been before.

“Not really. It wouldn’t talk to me like it would before.”

Chat Noir turned to look at the witch. She, like the world around him, was hard to see in the green haze. But her eyes were bright. At least he could see those.

His ring ticked again.

“You’re running out of time.” Marinette pulled away from him. “You should go.”

“Will you be okay?” He asked, reluctant to leave the girl alone. But she gave him a confident smile that reached up to her dazzling eyes. Her shoulders were straight and forward, and she rested her hands on her hips. 

She looked almost like Ladybug when she stood like that.

“I’ll be fine.” She thought for a moment. “I’d be better if there were some cookies around but the kitchen was ransacked.”

“There’s a tin in the Brewing Room.” Chat offered as his ring chirped.

“There is?” She asked incredulously, and he nodded. Marinette turned from him and ran up the hill. She was at the door the door in a flash. And then she was swallowed by the shadows that consumed the castle, and she was gone.

“Why does she need cookies?” He wondered aloud.

The boy didn’t remember much of anything from earlier that night. He remembered helping Ladybug, clear as day, but then there was a ripping pain that split him apart and then it was dark.

Then there was a voice. A nice voice. The calming smell of lavender and mint surrounded him, and he was sure it was Ladybug. But it’s wasn’t Ladybug. It was Marinette, with her crystalline eyes and pretty lips drawn into a determined frown. 

Then he woke up, alone in the Middle Courtyard, cold and confused, with his classmate’s face stuck in his mind.

Adrien felt his transformation wear away. The tight warmth that stretched around his skin faded, and he was plunged into the foggy darkness of the night.

“Do you remember seeing that red thing next to Marinette earlier today?” He asked his tired kwami. “And how it smelled like Ladybug’s magic when she saved me?” Plagg blinked at him.

“What are you talking about?”

“Why would she need cookies?” 

“Look, kid, I just want some camembert; I’m not in the mood for questions.” Adrien sighed and walked slowly up the hill, his legs feeling like lead.

He grasped the handle of the door and walked straight into a battle. In front of him three teachers were trying to fight a monster with green eyes. Strands of magenta hair fell from its hood. Down the hall he saw a group of students attempting to fend off a larger creature. From the corner of his eye he saw only two kids taunting another creature with blue eyes.

And then he realized. The monster he had just defeated was a hybrid. Two people had been fused together. And they were Nathanaël and Juleka. Now, the monster with the green eyes, the one he had seen with Marinette, was Alix. The larger creature, the one from the library, was Ivan. And the one with blue eyes, the one he had saved Marinette from, was Rose. Mylène was the monster he had first used his power on.

And it was the magic that was turning them into monsters. All the magic they used each day built up and began to rot. Spoiled magic is what it was. And in magic schools, all they used was spoiled magic, and it had finally caught up with them. The more magic that was used, the worse it got.

Adrien covered his mouth as he stared in horror at his classmates. Magic was never supposed to smell like decay. It should’ve smelled like lavender and mint or whatever that was nice, like Marinette’s spells always did.

And then he had an idea.

“Hey!” He shouted, his voice ringing down the hall. The teachers and students turned to him in surprise. “Listen up!” He stood tall. He finally knew how to cure the creatures. He explained everything to the people around him.

The teachers were the first to realize. The students didn’t quite understand, but it was as if Adrien had just handed the professors the last piece to a puzzle.

He sprinted through the main halls, stopping every teacher he could see. They all scattered over the castle, and as Adrien hunted down his defense team, the air began to smell like sugar and fresh air and pancakes and cherry blossoms and rain and thunderstorms.

The boy smiled. You just had to do everything wrong, because all the wrong magic was actually right.

Now he had to find Marinette.

Or was it Ladybug? The boy thought as he ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to cram the answers to all the questions I left hanging in the air over the next two chapters! ayy.... (I swear these later chapters have been a giant mess)


	14. A Pair Of Green Eyes

Marinette raced down the West Hall. She could feel Tikki in her pocket, still sleeping with exhaustion. She could hear footsteps and panicked students all around her, but the gloom of the night kept them hidden from sight. She heard shouts and whispers but she didn’t stop to listen.

She heaved the doors of the Eastern Passage open and immediately came face to face with a towering black figure, its bright blue eyes casting twisted shadows across the corridor. It leaned over her, large and silent, simply looking long and hard at her. It slowly raised its hand. The girl’s blood ran cold, her already weak knees trembled.

The clocks tolled the fourth hour of the night.

Marinette ducked and scrambled away from the creature, digging her stockinged toes into the old carpet as she ran. Doors and hazy furnishings whizzed by. Her heart thumped in her ears, blocking out the sounds of the castle.

She looked over her shoulder. The creature was slithering after her, sliding seamlessly as if it were on a moving sidewalk. 

Marinette turned back around with a grimace on her face. It was disturbing, to say the least.

A pale, skinny hand suddenly jutted out of an open entryway and caught her elbow. She was pulled into a dark room and the door slammed shut behind her. The monster rustled straight past where she was hidden. The girl gulped in stuffy oxygen, her back leaning against the wall.

“Are you alright?” Marinette turned towards the warm voice and the tip of a battered wand ignited and illuminated the closet they were crouched in.

“Adrien!” She gasped. Without even thinking she flung her arms around him. And amazingly, he hugged her back. “Thank goodness you’re alright.” She said to him.

“All thanks to you.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “But right now, we have a bit of a problem.” He gently pulled away a listened to the eerie silence in the hall. “There are two monsters in the school, and they’re causing a lot, and I mean a LOT, of damage. They’re tearing up rooms, crashing through walls and windows; they’ve even knocked down the First Tower.”

“Was the creature outside one of them?”

“Yep. Even worse, that creature is Rose. Ivan is the other one and last I saw, the teachers were still struggling to cure him. But,” He turned to her with a grin. “I figured it out, all because of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re spells Marinette! They always smell different, don’t they? Like lavender and mint?” The girl nodded sheepishly. “The textbooks were all still correct. We’ve all been using rotten magic this whole time. And if we use it enough times, it’ll rot us too. That’s why so many kids were disappearing, they were turning into monsters. You’ve been using magic the right way this whole time, Marinette. We just need to counteract the wrong magic with the right magic. We cured Alix by doing that, my team and I, though it took a pretty darn long time.”

Marinette blinked slowly. “Alright, I think I get it, maybe.” Adrien put his ear to the door, and the girl heard the odd rustling of the creature as it slithered past their closet.

“Will you help me?” The boy turned to her, and held out his hand.

Marinette pulled out her dark wand. It hummed with energy, and she could feel the excitement race up her arm. She reached and grasped his fingers.

“I’ll do my best.”

They burst out into the hall together. The monster whirled around, fixing them with its round, unnatural eyes. It stalked slowly and smoothly toward them, quiet as a mouse. It raised its claw, their sharp tips glinting in the faint light.

Adrien swung a spell, the scent of honey swirling onto a chandelier above them. The candles opened their eyes and the metal prongs and curves grew and swelled. They latched onto the creature’s raised hand.

Its eyes darkened. It whirled it’s free arm, the cracks between the bones glowing with energy and foul magic. It aimed at Adrien.

Marinette hurriedly tapped her wand over her eyes. “RUBBER.” She commanded. Mint filled the air. Her spell hit the monster’s arm, and it flopped over useless, all of its magic erased. It waved it frantically, but the bones no longer had any strength.

Adrien drew an invisible circle all around the creature’s feet, in a simple sticking jinx. It was entirely immobile now, and it knew it, and it glared at them.

“May I?” Marinette smiled.

“Be my guest.” Adrien bowed.

The witch threw up her wand and twirled it with her left hand. She tapped her lips and pointed the tip at the creature’s heart.

“HEAL.” Her voice boomed. The hall’s atmosphere snapped alive. A shock of bright swirling light pulsed out and wrapped around the monster, their classmate, their friend. In a flash, it was gone. Little white lights flittered through the air, the lingering smell of lavender clearing away the mustiness of castle.

“That’s weird.” Adrien held his hand out to one of the odd lights. “The same thing happened when Ladybug cured a monster.” He gave Marinette a strange look.

“We did it!” The girl smiled.

“Well done.” The boy held out his fist. She hesitated only a moment before bumping it with her own.

There was a random and small yawn from under Adrien’s collar. Was that a whisker peeking out from under it? Marinette squinted her eyes in the dim lighting. The boy clamped his hand over his neck and smiled nervously.

“L-lovely night, isn’t it?” He said distractedly. The girl looked up at one of the many skylights that adorned the hall. They stared at the gloomy and cloudy darkness above them.

“Well, I-I guess. It was a bit nicer a few days ago but I suppose-” She looked back down at the boy, who looked sharply up from his shoulder. 

“We should go.” He said suddenly. Adrien grabbed her hand and towed her down the corridor. Marinette gazed at the collar of the boy’s school shirt. If she looked hard enough, under the seams and the cotton printed with faint, pale symbols, she could see a pair of bright cat-like green eyes, regarding her curiously.

Marinette sucked in a sharp breath.

Adrien gripped her hand tightly as he turned to a short passageway jutting out to the left. The girl looked over at the tall, imposing doors that led off to the West Hall. Marinette pulled herself to a stop. The boy swung around, surprised.

“I have to go over there.” She said slightly reluctantly, pointing to the West Hall. Adrien’s eyes darted around before landing on her azure eyes. He puffed his cheeks and it seemed like he was about to protest. But he observed Marinette’s oddly Ladybug-esque stance and her jittering black wand clenched in her right hand.

He let go of her hand. “Alright.” He turned away and walked to the end of the short passage. “Be safe.” He called to her, and then Adrien disappeared into the gloom, the small, bright green eyes on his shoulder lingering for a small moment.

The little witch pulled her kwami out of her pocket. “Tikki?” She called softly. The red faerie stirred and yawned.

“Hello, Marinette.” She said sleepily. 

“Hello.” The girl whispered as she opened the tall and heavy wooden doors and stared into the complete obscurity they revealed.

“What’s going on?” Tikki asked after she had taken a few shaky steps in. Her fingers trembled around her kwami. She couldn’t see a thing.

“I’m not sure anymore.”

“Well,” Tikki pushed herself up to her elbows. “What’s the biggest problem?” Marinette nervously tapped her wand against her thigh, trying to warm it up for a light.

“There’s one more monster left and Adrien said it was causing a lot of damage.”

“Alright. What’s bothering so much?”

Marinette thought of her reply, though she didn’t say it. ‘There were eyes, Tikki.’ She said in her mind. Her wand sparked up, a small little flame hovered at the tip. She held it aloft, watching warily as the shadows twisted and sneered at her, growing in odd coils and twirls. The heavy, suffocating smell of rotten magic pressed at her senses.

The faerie wrapped her little hands around the girl’s thumb. “Marinette?” The witch stopped outside of the Brewing Room. The narrow wooden door seemed to be waiting for her.

She touched the black handle and it creaked slowly open. 

The familiar and wonderful smell of honey and cinnamon hung in the air, faint but undeniably present. She searched through the cabinets that lined the walls, the vile smell of death wafting from the sealed potions and other odd things cluttered in there. 

She stopped short when she saw a small reddish tin. She pulled open the lid.

Tikki’s eyes opened a little wider. Marinette held the container out to her.

“Will these work?”

“They’re not chocolate chip, but…” The kwami chomped onto one. “They’re still good.”   
.....................  
Marinette tapped her fingernails against one of the many worktables in the room. Her hands were fidgety as she listened to Tikki chewing. The stillness of the night pushed on her. Her eyelids drifted slowly closed, opening a few times to the darkness of the room.

“Alright!” The faerie’s cheery voice called Marinette back. “I have my strength back!” Tikki fluttered over to her, smiling. “Are you ready to get rid of the last monster?”

“We don’t even know if it’s the last. There might be more.”

“But you know how to cure them now.” She encouraged.

The girl was quiet. She stared out of the solitary window of the room, though she couldn’t see anything beyond it. She could barely see five feet in front of her in the oppressive blackness of the castle.

Oh, but she could see two small green eyes, glaring at her clear as day.

“What does Chat Noir’s kwami look like?” Marinette asked Tikki, keeping her eyes on the window.

She blinked in shock. 

“What do you mean?”

“Whiskers, right? And green eyes?” Marinette turned to her.

She hesitated, and then said, “Yes, that’s him.”

Marinette laughed nervously and shook her head, resting her chin on the palms of her hands. Her kwami touched her shoulder. But Marinette smiled. She thought fondly of Chat Noir and his odd yet endearing behavior, and all the times he made her laugh. It was so odd, so strange, and so weird to think that he and…

Marinette stood and looked at Tikki.

If what she thought was true, if she was right, which it definitely wasn’t, but if it was… well then, anything was possible it seemed. She straightened her stance, feeling oddly strong.

She’d cured monsters before, she reasoned. She could easily do it again.

“Tikki!” She called into the gloom. “Transform me!”

With a spin, her kwami disappeared, but she could still feel her presence in her earrings. Her mask, thin as it was, spread over her eyes, the trickling warmth spreading through her whole body. She felt the weight of her yoyo on her belt. Gloves covered her hands; the laces on her boots tied themselves.

Ladybug’s eyes snapped open and she grinned.

It felt so good to be her.


	15. The Last Cup Of Poison

Chat Noir heard the woman before he saw her.

He had been walking down the halls towards the last monster (that they knew of, there were most likely countless others hiding in the shadows.) He moved slowly. He told himself that it was because he wanted to stay quiet, when really it was because all he could think about was Marinette. And, more specifically, her voice, calling, “Tikki?”

But the woman he heard presently was singing. She had a grating voice when she talked normally, but when she sang it was as if knives were being shoved into his ears.

The boy crept forward, and he saw the Head sitting on a chair, a small candle illuminated her sharp features and the empty teacups around her. In between verses of her painful song she sipped from her cup.

He could smell the Bleeding Hearts from yards away.

“Headmistress?” He said. She turned to face him with her twinkling glassy eyes. Chat Noir drew back a little bit. There had always been something very off about the Head, and almost every bone in his bone was telling him to walk away.

But he stayed as the woman blinked slowly.

“Adrien.” She stated plainly. The boy started. She waved her teacup at him. “You didn’t turn in any of your homework for three days.”

“What?”

“I’m having-” She drank another mouthful of her sloshing black drink. “You expelled.” She finished. Chat Noir stared at her in disbelief.

“How did you-you can’t expel me!”

“I can.” The Head said primly. “You’ve been an utter disappointment. You and your little friend barreled into the garden while I was observing a monster and you ruined my freeze spell. And then I recruited you into a team to see if I was right about the children being the monsters. It worked of course, but you turned back in the same hour and prevented the other three as well. And you and your girlfriend keep going off and curing them.” The woman rolled her eyes. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter because they’ll have to close down all the magic schools soon enough. This problem will happen everywhere and people will complain and then magic will disappear.”

The clocks around them tolled the fifth hour of the night.

The Head looked up sharply. “Well, boy? What are you doing? In the morning I’ll have you and your girlfriend pack your bags but in the meantime you should go get rid of that last monster.” She set the cup down. “I’ve heard it’s quite a tough onw.” 

Chat Noir’s head span. The woman wasn’t making any sense to him. And her slight changes of attitude with every sentence made him terribly unsure. Unsure of her, unsure of himself, unsure of everything.

The Head held out a cup, overflowing with gold-black tea. “You look rather pale. This will help.”

The boy hesitantly took the cup from her hands. He gagged at the scent of fake sweetness. “I can’t drink this.” He choked.

“A cup of poison,” The woman picked up her own mug and downed the rest. “Does wonders for the nerves, you know.”

“You’ve said that before, but I don’t think-” She pierced him with her milky eyes and he shut his mouth. He stared at his drink and it seemed to stare right back. 

All the things that the Head said slowly sunk in. He, apparently, would have to leave tomorrow, and so would Marinette, because of him. The woman had no reason to expel them, but looking back up at the lady, he realized there would be no way to convince her otherwise. She was demented, and it’s futile to argue with someone who is demented.

Bleeding Hearts had the ability to make you strong. It could make you powerful; it could make you a leader. But it also could distort you. If you took too much, it would change your personality, bend your morals, twist your judgement. It could make you into a monster.

But Adrien had already been that.

He gulped it down.

That terrible sweetness scraped down his throat, the poison stretching through his body. But oddly enough, he felt almost a little better. Brighter. He knew it would wear off, as magic always does, but it cleared his mind.

He walked away from the Head. The clinking of her cup and her lilting song followed him.  
......................  
Ladybug’s boots have always made an interesting sound. Even on carpet they made a particular clink. So through the maze of the castle she went, clinking her way about. And as she neared the library, she began to hear the unique plink of Chat Noir’s bell coming her way.

She gripped her wand stopped outside the library door. Plink, plink, plink. The swish of his hood drew nearer, and his green eyes emerged from the darkness. They shimmered terribly bright. They stood facing each other for a long moment.

“My lady,” He bowed. Ladybug smiled waveringly.

“Hello.” She turned and looked about. “Do you know where the last monster is?”

“It’s definitely not the last, but,” The boy turned and looked down the way she came. “Last I heard, it was-”

He was cut off by a muffled crash coming from within the library. The two magicians exchanged a glance. Together, side by side, with their wands in their hands, they slowly opened the doors and snuck into the room.

The place was in better shape than it had been the last time they saw it. The shelves and desks were upright and the books once again in their places.

The two kept to the shadows.

There was a rustle in a corner of the library. The partners slid down the aisles and peeked their heads over to the little table with golden lamps. 

The monster was huge. Not tall like the one in the woods had been, but wide and hunched and thick and horrific in every way. It reeked of death and magic. Chat Noir and Ladybug watched as it rummaged about, combing through books with no purpose other than to mess up the order.

One of Chat’s nails struck the wood of a shelf. The sound was a hair louder than a whisper, but the creature’s head snapped towards them. 

They were quick, but Ladybug knew it had seen them. The pair tiptoed back down the aisle and split as the monster began to walk toward where they had been. 

Chat Noir dragged his claws across a desk. Ladybug drew the buttons of her glove across a wall. 

The confused creature stopped in the middle of the library, in the open. 

And together, the two threw a spell. Chat twirled his wand and the floor underneath the monster swelled and latched onto its feet like grasping hands. Ladybug flipped her hands and the ceiling above the monster fell in long sharp beams, arranging themselves neatly about it.

The pair smiled at each other, Chat’s eyes gleaming and Ladybug’s normal glow illuminating her grin.

But it didn’t last. The monster was strong and big and flung aside the flimsy bars and kicked out of the bindings of the floor. It rounded on the girl, burning its deep eyes into her.

And it charged.

Ladybug ran. The soles of her boots slid on the polished floor, but she jumped over the front desk and whizzed out the door. The creature, too large to actually pass under the exit, crashed through the wall. Wood and steel beams snapped like twigs. The carpet from under the witch pulled as it chased her.

Ladybug was fast but she was small, and the creature was fast and it was big. The girl pitched forward as it caught the hem of her hood. She found herself dangling in the air, staring into the skeletal face of the monster.

“Hello,” She said sheepishly.

In return, it raised its other hand. There was a slight crack in the space around them and Ladybug could feel the heat of magic. Its talons aimed at her eyes.

“HEY!” Came a shout. A bright orange light flashed from behind it. And it dropped her.

The creature turned and began to chase Chat Noir, back down the way she had come. The girl pressed herself to the shadows as the figures disappeared into the gloomy dark blue light of the castle.

She took a deep breath and unhooked her yoyo.

“LUCKY CHARM!”  
...................  
Chat Noir ripped through hall after hall, the creature at his tail. He grit his teeth and burst through the Eastern Door. The grass was still and frosty. He skidded down the hill and into the woods.

He heard the monster as it burst out of the school.

Chat tumbled over branches and bushes and roots. Thorns and twigs scratched and clawed him but he didn’t stop running. The woods were foggy and the dreary blue sky above him seemed to obscure his surroundings and suddenly-

The boy slipped to a stop. The mist had cleared and he found himself facing a swamp, of churning red water and black, gnarled plants. Dead reeds and trees stuck up into the air like frozen limbs. The cloudy blueish sky bathed the place in an apathetic light. The red of the liquid below him was devoid of anything besides its own vulgar swirling mass.

The Blood Marshes.

The stench was smothering. Chat Noir covered his nose and mouth with his arm, inching back from the bog.

A shadow passed over him, and he turned. The monster had reached him and he was surrounded by toxic sloughs and ragged wood. He moved slowly away from the creature, before he tripped.

The thing above him reached out. Chat Noir could feel the atmosphere snap with magic. The fumes of the marshes muddled his thoughts. Time seemed to slow down. His heart was beating desperately, and his breathing was fast. The monster’s claws gleamed in the light of the dawn. He was sure that it had already grabbed him and tore him apart.

But it hadn’t. 

There was a blinding flash of white. For a moment, the woods and the mires disappeared. He blinked rapidly. When the stars disappeared, he was looking at Ladybug.

Her yoyo was in her hand. The creature was gone, cured, fixed. The air about them smelled like lavender and mint and strangely, like home. Fluttering snowflakes fell delicately around them.

“Are you alright?” Her voice was bright and clear. Her earrings twittered, and she held out her hand to him, and pulled him to his feet.

“I’m fine.” He said. They stood in silence.

And then Chat Noir grinned.

And then Ladybug smiled.

“You did it!” He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air.

“We did it!” She corrected him as they spun around. He set her gently on her feet. Her earrings beeped, but neither noticed.

“You saved me.”

“You saved me too.” Ladybug’s smile darkened and she took a step away from him. “I-I need to go.” She began to run away. He followed her to the edge of the forest and to the hill. She was almost at the crest.

“Wait.” He called.

And she waited, her back to him.

And they didn’t move. Not for a while, at least. His thoughts wound and twisted about but always came revolving back to Marinette’s voice in the dark, calling, “Tikki?” 

Her earrings chirped for the last time, and Chat Noir looked up in surprise. She turned her head towards him. Her last seconds counted down.


End file.
